Redemption
by Ritu
Summary: The story of a being caught in an endless cycle of despair and pain, and the girl who can finally offer him freedom. But what is the price of his redemption for her?
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story and its concept is entirely mine though.

Do leave Reviews please, they are my motivation for writing.

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She was walking down the mountain path. she had never taken this way before, in fact she had not even known such a path had existed to get down the mountain. Hugging herself because of the chill, she kept moving. Perhaps it had not been the smartest idea to take a new path, when darkness was approaching so fast, but then she had been somewhat lost when she had come across it. It seemed to be taking her down the mountain, for now anyways.

She stumbled as she suddenly came upon an opening in the trees. She was besides the last trees before a few feet of rock and then the drop. Her eyes widened at the sight that awaited her. She was at a ridge on the side of the mountain. The forest lay before her, exquisite in its green beauty, glowing in the light of the setting sun. but she only recalled all of this much later, then she could only see that beautiful form in front of her. He seemed like an angel, a being not of this world, as he stood there... facing the west. she was on his right, so she could see the side of his handsome face, tinted in the colored rays of the setting sun.

There was something about him so breathtaking, that she could not for a moment think that there was anything human about him. It was not that he was the most handsome, but something ethereal made him so much more than a man. A dignity, a sadness, a pain and a terrible loneliness perhaps... Yet even as her brain registered all this, he raised his arms as if beckoning the fading sunlight to embrace him. They both stood there for a while, him with his open embrace, and her too transfixed by him, to move.

As the light faded, the lines of his face became harsher, as if they showed his fury at having been left behind by the sun, the light and the warmth. Slowly he turned and then, his eyes met hers. She gasped, his irises were a deep dark red, and whether it was a belated sense of self preservation or just the strangeness of the situation that made her do so, she turned and ran. she had no clue how she went down the mountain and reached her home. Later she would always say, it was as if the forest itself had parted to let her escape.

She had been 17 at the time.

---

40 years later

She smiled as she looked into the face of her only grandchild. The girl was sleeping cuddled up in a blanket. Once more her thoughts went to how much she looked like her mother. There was nothing of her son in this child, except her brown eyes. Beautiful and so warm, his son had had the most beautiful eyes ever. His wife Maya had often said that she had fallen in love when she had looked into those eyes. She closed her eyes, but she could not stoop the tears at such a terrible loss of life. Her son, Rei, his wife Maya, pregnant with their second child had gone to get a gift for their daughter's birthday. They had an accident on their way home, and never returned. The sole survivor had been their 7 year old daughter, who had escaped unscathed. It had been called a miracle.

That had been 10 years ago.

Her grandchild had turned 17 today. She had not even mentioned the day. In the past five years she had realized that the firl not only completely understood that her parents were gone, she also saw her birthday only as the day she had lost them. She was a brave child, and she also knew that she was not to blame, but she could not stand her birthday being celebrated ever.

She softly thanked the gods again for sparing the life of this girl. This child was her miracle indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story and its concept is entirely mine though.

Do leave Reviews please, they are my motivation for writing.

------

Mikan stood there, her heart pounding in terror but her face was expressionless. She looked up when the doctor entered the waiting room.

"How is she?"

"She is going to be fine." she nearly collapsed in relief at his answer.

"But she cannot live in the city anymore. Her lungs are very weak. It would be best if she moved somewhere in the country. Thats the only way she can hope to be completely cured."

"Okay. I will make sure we move to the country. Can I see her now?"

"Yes but she is sleeping."

"Thats all right."

Mikan stayed there all night. She sat near the bed, holding her grandma's hand, afraid to let go, afraid to even close her eyes, lest something happen to the only family she had left.

As soon as Mrs. Sakura was able to travel, they moved out of Tokyo, and back to the small mountainside village where she had grown up. She had tried her best to change Mikan's mind, but the girl had refused to listen. If the doctor thought her grandma would get better in a village, they would live in a village. She had tried everything she could to deter Mikan, but the girl could be very stubborn. She was ready to give up her entire life, everything she had known so quickly for her that she was quite touched, even if she thought it was going a bit too far.

They were giving their house in the city up for rent, and moving into Mrs. Sakura's family home in the country. Her nephew lived there now with his family. He had always stayed in touch with them, and was very fond of Mikan. He had even offered to take care of the both of them when her parents had passed away but grandma had decided to raise her in the house that was filled with the memories of her parents. Money had never been an issue for them since they had received a very large amount as life insurance of her Mom and Dad. Now she was letting it the house go. Memories of the dead could not be allowed to hinder the living. Grandma's health came first.

----

Mikan looked around and smiled. She had always loved this place. There was a feeling of peace here that soothed her. She had been to the country a few times to visit her uncle and his family. Uncle Narumi was one of the kindest people she knew, and his wife, aunt Misaki was a very sweet lady. She adored children and had treated Mikan as her own daughter every time they had met. Uncle Narumi's only child, Hotaru was in Tokyo university. Hotaru had visited them nearly every weekend while they had been in the city and was very good friends with Mikan. She was the one who had finally convinced grandma to move to the countryside.

It had been a month since they had moved into the country. Mrs. Sakura loved it here, and as each day her health improved, the painful knot it Mikan's heart loosened. Both her and Mikan were comfortably settled into her new life. Their house was the one nearest the mountains and so a bit away from the main part of the town, but Mikan did not mind it in the least. Uncle Narumi ran a large tea plantation and their house was on the edge of it. She loved all the greenery around her. She went hiking in the mountains a lot, as well as for long walks in and around the plantation.

-----

Mikan lay back in the field, enjoying the view of the stars. It was a gorgeous night. Everyone else was asleep, but she had not been able to, so she had come outside. she looked around when she felt someone looking at her, but there was nothing there. Shaking her head, she looked up at the night sky again. Then she started singing. Her voice was beautiful, but filled with sadness. She sang of pain. She sang of loneliness and sorrow, of longing. He watched her through the trees. Hardly anyone ever detected his presence, but she had looked up at exactly where he had been. That had made him stay, and her voice now held him in place.

He had not heard such a beautiful voice in a very long time, if ever. There was something about that song, that before he realized it, tears were falling from his eyes. He had not cried in centuries. He had hardened himself against his pain and regret but now it came back to him. He remembered again the joy of friendship and he felt again the pain of losing everything he held dear. Her voice was making him feel again. He stayed there listening to this girl, this human child, as her song brought forth memories he had thought he had forgotten.

Then her song changed, she no longer sang of pain, but she sang of hope. She sang of the beauty of the new day as it came to be, she sang of the warmth of an ebrace, she sang of the wisdom of cherishing what was left, and she sang of a love that will someday be fulfilled.

He saw that she too had tears in her eyes, as she got up and walked away from him. Walked towards her home and family.

At the screen door, Mikan paused. She was sure there was someone out here with her, and she somehow also knew that this person was very sad. Without turning around she said softly,

"I know not what pains you keep in your heart, but I believe that someday your heart will heal. The scar that will stay behind, will only make you cherish your happiness more rather than remind you of these lonely days. Good Luck my friend of the night and the forest."

Natsume stood there for a long time after she had gone in. He chose to take her words to heart and let them give him hope. Hope which he had denied himself for centuries. "Good Luck to you too child." he finally murmured and made his way back up the mountain.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story and its concept is entirely mine though.

Do leave Reviews please, they are my motivation for writing.

------

To bluegirl330817 - I am sorry you found my story confusing. I admit there are some spelling mistakes and even some bad grammar but the context does seem to explain everything. I'll be more careful in the future though, but you know pronouns are kinda used a lot all the time. Thats the whole point of them.

In Chapter 1 - The she Mikan's grandma, Mrs. Sakura, the He is Natsume, and the child is Mikan. There is another she and thats Mikan's Mom. Overall i did not think it was that bad.

In Chapter 2 - The she is usually Mikan or her grandma, and the context explains which one it is. He is Natsume.

Mikan does not know his name yet, thats why I call him "he" all the time. Anyways I'll surely try to make it less confusing from now on.

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Mikan smiled as she felt a familiar presence. Over the past month it had become a habit for her to come out to the field at night. and every night she had felt the same presence. She did not know who or what he was, but she could feel the loneliness in him. Something about him resonated with her, and she could not help but come to see him night after night.

Now that he was here, she started singing. Mostly he came after she started singing, but today Mikan had wanted to know if he would come even if she did not sing. He had come, and now her song was filled with happiness.

Natsume smiled as she started singing. He had been surprised by the panic he had felt when he had not heard her voice at the usual time. He had taken himself by surprise by the attachment he felt for her in such a short period of time. He understood how small the human life span was, and how fragile humans were, and that once she was gone, his loneliness would be so much harder to bear, but he could not help himself. He could not deny himself the joy this girl brought him, just because he was scared of what would happen afterwards. He was not a coward.

Natsume wanted to laugh at the joy in her song. He knew she was this happy because he had come. She gave him peace, made him feel wanted again. At the moment it seemed as if these memories would let him get through the eternal torment that awaited him.

----

Natsume watched Mikan as she walked along a path in the mountains. He was not sure if she knew he was there or not. It always made him smile when he watched her. She did the most unpredictable things. A butterfly could make her laugh, while a caterpillar would make her scream. What a strange child, he thought amused, as she tried to get a fruit from a tree. Shaking his head he made the fruit drop on her head. Mikan squealed, and then picked up the fruit and then started eating as she walked. Natsume actually laughed at the look of satisfaction on her face. He was glad she came hiking every seven days.

---

Mikan walked along a path in the mountains humming to herself. She loved to hike, so she went hiking every Sunday. Last Sunday a fruit had actually dropped on her head. She giggled as she remembered that. Suddenly, she realized that she was not alone. She looked up to see a guy crash into the path from the trees.

"Are you okay?" she asked taking in his haggard appearance and dirty clothes. Thats when she noticed the evil look in his eyes. Without waiting for him to say anything, she turned tail and ran. Guessing that he was probably going to be faster than her, on a trail, she moved into the trees. Mikan was running full speed towards the bottom of the mountain and safety.

Natsume felt her terror and it sparked his anger. How dare someone scare his friend on his mountain. He was there in an instant. Mikan was running recklessly from a man. Natsume felt the man's intentions and his anger just heightened. The man wanted to kill her.

Suddenly the run became easier for Mikan. It seemed the trees were moving out of her way. At the same time she heard a lot of crashing behind her, as if the trees were moving in the way of the creepy guy. She soon came out of the trees. She saw Uncle Narumi standing with some policemen and ran straight to them.

She quickly told them what had happened, and they rushed into the forest. Later on she was told that they had found the man buried under tree branches. It seemed a lot of them had fallen on him at the same time. He had quite a few broken bones but he was alive. The police had taken him away.

--

Mikan knew in her heart that he had helped her. Her friend from the forest had saved her. He had helped her escape while he had trapped the man in trees. She owed him her life.

That night when Mikan went out, the dark scared her. But she kept going, she owed him her life and she was going to thank him. By the time she reached the trees, she was trembling. Then she felt him, and before she knew it she was crying.

Natsume's heart ached for her. Concentrating all his power, and ignoring the pain it would cause him, he materialized before her. Mikan's eyes widened as she finally saw the being she had made friends with. He slowly raised his hand, and when she did not move away, he wiped her tears away. "Its okay. I'll protect you, always."

She moved forward and hugged him. Natsume spent that night holding the little girl close and soothing her. She had not been scared of him, not even for one moment. Her acceptance humbled him. No one had trusted him and accepted him so completely before. Not even before his fall from grace.

When she finally stopped crying, Mikan looked up at him. "Thank You. I owe you my life" she whispered softly.

He brushed her tears away, and smiled at her gently. "What is your name?"

"Mikan"

"I am Natsume. I owe you my soul." he murmured.

She started to speak more, but he shook his head. "I am not strong enough to stay in this form any longer. I must go for now, but I will always protect you. Now go home and sleep. Your grandma worries for you."

Mikan nodded as she got up. Even as she watched he vanished. She slowly walked back to the house.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story and its concept is entirely mine though.

Do leave Reviews please, they are my motivation for writing.

------

"There are many legends associated with the mountains here. Why are you suddenly interested in them Mikan?" Mrs. Sakura asked.

"I want to know everything about my home." Mikan replied innocently.

"Does this have something to do with what you are not telling me about?" Mrs. Sakura asked suspiciously. She had seen Mikan come back into the house very late at night on several occasions. When she had asked, Mikan had told her that when the time was right she would tell her everything. Mrs. Sakura believed in her granddaughter, so she held her peace. But she did get curious from time to time.

Mikan sighed. "Yes Grandma, it might have something to do with what I am not telling you."

Mrs. Sakura chuckled at the girl's long suffering tone. She was happy that Mikan was over the fright she had received in the forest, and so decided to humor her in whatever she was doing.

"All right. There are two very famous legends associated with this mountain. I will tell you both of them, for they are linked."

"Okay" Mikan settled down to hear the story.

"A long long time ago, an angel came to earth in the form of a human. He saw a beautiful woman and fell in love with her. Soon they were married. They were very happy together, but the angel did not know that the woman was a demon who had been living as a human. At the same time, the demon did not know that her husband was an angel. Two years after their marriage, the demon gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. The parents loved their son very much.

They could both tell that the child had extraordinary powers. So they both secretly told him their true identities and showed him their real forms. They also taught him how to control all his powers. So the little boy grew up knowing that he was the son of a demon and an angel, and also that his parents did not know about each other. His father told him that demons were evil, while his mother told him that angels were cruel. The little boy never told them the truth, that they were both alike, they just had not realized it.

When the boy turned 16, a war broke out between the angels and demons. His parents had to go join the fight. So they both left a letter for each other, finally telling the truth and promising that they would come back. But since they both left the same night, they never read the letters. The next morning, the boy found the letters and panicked. His parents would be fighting each other. Afraid that he would lose them, the boy went after them.

It was a week before the boy found the battlefield. Angels and demons were fighting everywhere. Then he saw his parents, who were fighting each other. The boy was up on a cliff, on a rocky ledge, over looking the battlefield."

Mrs. Sakura stopped as an unbidden memory came to her mind. She had seen such a ledge once, when she had been young. She had also seen a man, if he could be called a man, on it. She shook her head to clear it, and started the story again.

"As the boy watched, his parents killed each other. Filled with pain at the needless loss, the boy screamed. His parents had been the strongest among angels and demons respectively, and so now his scream of pain had enough power to make everyone on the battlefield stop and look. He screamed again, but this time it was a scream of rage. Black wings grew from his back and he descended to the battlefield. It is said that his anger and power were so great that everyone fell to their knees. He then decreed a peace between the two races. The demons agreed first, for he was the grandson of the demon king. The angels also agreed and they asked him to come live with them.

So the boy, who was the son of a demon and an angel, went to live with the people of his father. He stopped the war from ever happening again, and became a mediator between the two races and they are still in peace because of him."

"That is a sad story. Could his parents not sense the person they loved?" Mikan asked.

"They were blinded by unreasonable hate towards each other. How could a hated demon or a hated angel be the person they loved?"

"That is just so sad. Their poor son." she murmured.

"I know, it is a sad story. But at least he was able to make the fighting stop." Mrs. Sakura pointed out the bright side.

"Grandma, why did u pause in the middle of the legend?" Mikan asked.

"I remembered seeing a ledge that fits the description in the legend when I was young, up in the mountains. The forest stretched out before it, but it could have been a plain in the years past when the fight took place." she replied.

"Really? Will you tell me where it is? I want to see it." Mikan was glowing in excitement.

"I am sorry Mikan, I don't know where it is. It was a long time ago and I was lost in the mountains. I saw the sunset from there. Then something scared me and I ran into the trees. I have no idea how I got home."

Mrs. Sakura decided that she did not need to tell Mikan about the man she had seen. Even after all these years his image was still clear in her eyes, but Mikan was still a child and already too interested in legends. _For all I know, he might have just been a hallucination,_ Mrs. Sakura tried to convince herself. But in her heart she knew that he had been real.

Mikan brought her out of her thoughts then, "Whats the next legend Grandma?"

"It is also about an angel. After the war, many angels came to earth from time to time. Since this was a time of peace, they traveled among humans a lot, because even if they ran into demons they would not be attacked. During this time another angel fell in love with a demon. But this time they both knew who the other was. They lived together with humans and were very happy. But then other angels found out about this. They were furious. Although they could not do anything to the demon, they decided to execute the angel as a traitor.

The demon, fearing for the life of her beloved, went to the demon king to ask his help. The demon king could not interfere with the laws of angels, but he was a very smart man. He sent for his grandson, the half angel half demon."

"The boy from the last story?" Mikan asked excited.

"Yes the boy from the last story. But he was not a boy anymore. It had been centuries since the peace had started. The half-ling, as he was known, was friends with the demons and really loved his grandfather. When he came and heard the whole story, he decided to help the couple. Since he was half angel, he could interfere with the laws of angels. So he went to the angel and asked him how much he loved the demon. The angel said he loved her more than he loved his own life. Then he asked him what he needed to live. The angel replied that he only needed his wife. Pleased by the answer, the half-ling joined the life force of the demon and the angel.

When the other angels came to execute this angel, the half-ling stopped them. Killing the angel would make the demon die too. That would be an attack on the demons, and so the war would start again. The half-ling also said that since the angels would be starting the war, he would have to take the side of the demons.

This saved the life of the angel, but he was told to leave forever. He did not care. He went to live with his wife in the demon world. The half-ling was also punished for what he had done. It is said that he was cursed by all the angels for helping their enemies. The demon king was very angry at the angels and would have declared war again, but the angel who was married to the demon stopped him.

He said that since the half-ling was half demon, the curse was also only half formed. The curse could be broken, as well as changed. The angel then gave up all his powers as an angel to change the curse. He made the curse easier to bear for the half-ling and he also made it so that eventually it could be broken. But since they had modified the curse, neither the good angel nor any demons could go near the half-ling until the curse was broken. The half-ling was bound to these mountains and a barrier was formed to make sure that he did not leave and also so that no demons or angels came near him. So even now the half-ling waits for the curse to break so he can finally be free."

Mrs. Sakura was startled as she saw the tears glistening in Mikan's eyes.

"It's just a legend Mikan." she tried to cheer her up.

"But legends are based on at least some truth, right?"

"Yes, but in that case, maybe the curse is already broken." Even as she said that the image of the man in he mountains flashed through her mind. _She had never made this connection before, but could it be true? Could she have seen the half-ling who was being punished for his kindness even now?_

At that time Mikan had the same thoughts as Mrs. Sakura. Could her friend be the half-ling from this story?

"Do you know what his name was? Or what he looked like?" She asked suddenly.

Mrs. Sakura looked at Mikan in surprise. "No. I never really thought about it."

Mikan's shoulders slumped. Mrs. Sakura tried many things but she could not cheer her up.

That night Mikan went out to the field and without waiting for Natsume to come, she started singing.

Natsume heard her voice up in the mountains. The trees whispered to him, telling him that she was crying. He had not needed them to tell him this. He could feel her sadness in her voice. He came down and stood near the edge of the trees listening to her. She sounded so heartbroken, but there was nothing he could do. Comforting her a few days ago had taken all his strength. He would not be able to materialize for at least a month more.

Mikan knew exactly the moment when he came down. She could sense him there. Before she knew it she was standing up and moving to the trees. She stood right in front of him, and that was when Natsume noticed that her eyes were closed, and she was tuning all her other senses on him. She raised her hand, and slowly stroked his cheek. He was astounded that she had enough spiritual aura to actually touch him.

She wanted to ask him so many things but her strength was fast fading. Just that touch made her dizzy. As Natsume watched shocked, she fainted. Not caring for the consequences of his actions, Natsume materialized and caught her. She was spiritually very strong, but untrained, and so the effort it had taken her to touch him, had made her faint.

He slowly lowered her to the ground, but he did not know what to do. He could not leave her here and he could not go to her house. That's when he saw her grandmother coming there. Mrs. Sakura's eyes widened in shock when he saw Mikan in the arms of a strange man. Then she realized that Mikan was unconscious and she ran forward.

"What happened?" she asked, but that was when she finally saw who the man was.

"I have to go. Let her, no, make her rest. She will be better soon." He told her. With that he placed Mikan gently on the ground, and vanished into the night.

Mrs. Sakura stood there, rooted to the spot. _It could not be him. She had seen him nearly 40 years ago, how could he look exactly as he had then? He had seemed to be in a hurry and nearly in a panic but he had been still so careful with Mikan._

Mikan groaned, and Mrs. Sakura, shook her thoughts away. Mikan came first.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story and its concept is entirely mine though.

Do leave Reviews please, they are my motivation for writing.

------

Okay so this chapter was not proof read either. so again there are going to be a lot of errors. I am sorry for that. Hope you like the story though and please do review.

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Mikan was walking in a beautiful meadow near some mountains. Although she was sure she was here for the first time, it seemed somewhat familiar. She smiled at the bright mosaic of colors painted by the flowers. She saw a woman ahead of her, sitting in the flowers, playing with a long stemmed white rose in her hand.

"I have been waiting for a long time to see you." The woman said with a smile.

Mikan smiled back. She had never seen this woman before but she liked her smile.

"Who are you?" Mikan asked.

"A fool." The woman replied with a chuckle.

"Why are you a fool?"

The woman laughed, and then she waved her hand. The meadow changed. No, Mikan realized the meadow was still the same, but now a battle had been fought here. The beautiful place had been trampled under the feet of many, and the the grass and flowers were all red with blood.

She looked at the woman horrified. But the woman had changed too, she wore armor now, and the rose had turned into a sword. She was completely covered in blood, but she still sat there calmly. All over the meadow, Mikan saw the dead and the dying. Those who were still alive kept fighting, not even pausing to help their injured companions.

"I do not understand." She spoke, her voice trembling.

The woman waved her hand again and the meadow returned to how it had been. Mikan looked at her with wide, tear filled eyes.

"I was the reason. It was my fury at an unintentional slight that caused this war." She twirled the rose in her hand. "So you see, I am a fool."

"Why are you still here?"

"Because even though I lived a fool, I did not die as one. I saw my son die, and then I saw the pain of the son he had left behind. I saw the destruction I had caused, and I saw the price an innocent boy paid for my actions. I vowed to help him someday and so I wait here, dead but not gone, to pay my debt."

"Who are you?" Mikan whispred.

"I had many names while I walked among mortals child, but they do not matter now. My people did not learn the way I did, and did something very cruel. Now I can pay my debt if I can help right that wrong."

"I don't understand."

"It's all right, you don't have to understand all this. My name is Seia Nogi, and I will be teaching you how to control your spiritual powers. This is more than enough for today though."

Mikan awoke with a start.

"Thank god. Mikan are you all right?" Mrs. Sakura seemed worried out of her mind.

"Grandma?"

"Yes it's me sweetie. How do you feel?"

"I am fine. Why are you so worried?"

"You fainted. I saw you outside, and he handed you to me. I was freaking out."

Mikan remembered what had happened. Then her grandma's words completely registered.

"You saw Natsume?" She asked incredulous.

"Is he why you fainted? Did he hurt you?"

"Of course not. He would never hurt me."

"Who is he Mikan? and please do not avoid this anymore."

Mikan saw the obvious worry in her grandma's face, and decided to tell her.

"His name is Natsume. I don't know what he is though, but I know he is my friend and a good person."

Her grandma said nothing for a while, then slowly she nodded. "Are you sure that he will never harm you?"

"Yes"

"Okay. Now you should rest. He told me to make you rest."

Mikan smiled at grandma, deciding to keep her dream to herself for now.

Mrs. Sakura was worried, but in her heart she too knew that Natsume meant Mikan no harm. In the end she decided to let fate take it's course.

---

Mikan was ready for the dream this time. She was in the same meadow again, and in the same place as before sat Seia. Soon she was sitting besides Seia, as she explained the basics of using spiritual energy. Mikan was surprised to know that though it could be gained, mostly it was related to the soul. So a spiritually strong soul will always be strong every time it was born. Time seemed to fly for her as she learned all these new things. Then Seia smiled and told her it was time to go home.

Mikan woke up and slammed her hand on her alarm clock.

Soon the days seemed to blend together. She wanted to learn so bad that every night she would go to bed early. But then she would get up really early and go for a walk in the mountains just to feel Natsume's presence before she rushed off to school.

Mrs. Sakura shook her head as she saw Mikan rushing out of the house, holding a piece of toast. Sometimes it seemed that Mikan had bitten off a bit more than she could chew.

----

Mikan sat in school staring outside the window. She was lost in thoughts about her latest lesson from Seia. Somebody tapped her shoulder and she looked up at a pair of green eyes.

"Hi, I am Sumire. Do you mind if I have lunch with you?" Mikan smiled in response and moved over so Sumire could sit besides her on the steps. Soon they had become good friends. Mikan had made a lot of friends since she had come here but she was a very social person and she also knew that Sumire was new in school. She had to admit that it was good to have friends.

Mikan laughed as she walked out of school with Sumire. It was an amazing coincidence but it was like they were soul twins or somethings. They both liked the same things, enjoyed the same music and over all had the same interests. School had become more interesting now that she seemed to have a best friend. With her busy schedule and with the time she was spending with Sumire, Mikan knew she was pushing it, but she really could not decide where to cut back.

For two days after meeting Sumire, Mikan was not able to go to the mountain in the morning. Even though it was sunday, she felt so completely tired that she almost went back to sleep, but then she felt Natsume's presence at the edge of the forest. She could not stop herself, and shrugging off her exhaustion, she walked out of the house. As soon as she reached the edge of the forest she felt even more weak, but Mikan being Mikan just kept walking.

Walking into the trees felt like walking through water, but then she was through. She swayed, but Natsume caught her. She smiled at him but his mouth was set in a grim line. He picked her up and vanished into the trees. Soon Natsume was setting her down in small patch of grass among the trees. He still looked really worried.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Have you met any new people recently?"

"Yeah, but why are you asking that?"

For a long moment Natsume said nothing. Then he sat down besides Mikan and sighed.

"You were asking me about my past a few weeks ago, after you heard the legends associated with this mountain. Well it seems that now I have no choice but to tell you."

Mikan settled down comfortably with her back to a tree trunk to listen to him. He was sitting on her side but facing her and now he stretched out a bit making himself more comfy too.

"The legend your grandma told you is mostly correct. A long time ago an angel and a demon fell in love. They both thought the other was human. They had one son and they raised him with a lot of love and care. Then one day they left to fight a war. They were on opposing armies and so they killed each other. Their son who had watched them die was strong enough to stop the war, and so there was a time of peace." at this point Natsume too leaned back against a tree and sighed.

"That war which took their lives was fought because the angel queen had been offended by the the son of the demon king. The demon Prince, Lucien was travelling one time. By mistake he came upon the angel queen. She was in human form and fighting a group of trolls. The prince thought that she was a human in danger and so he killed the trolls with one swing. The proud queen was furious that he had stolen her kills. In her fit of rage, she attacked the prince. The Prince did not fight back because he had a twin sister whom he loved a lot and had not seen in years, and she had the same eyes as those of the queen. The queen killed him. Even though she had killed the Prince, she was not satisfied. She believed that she had been insulted and so now she declared war on the demons."

Natsume's eyes were focussed in the distance as if he could see some far away image in his mind.

"The demon king and his daughter were furious that the prince had been murdered. He had been very kind and loving, too kind for a demon. They also knew why he had not fought back with the angel queen. When the war started, the demon king declared the queen his kill, while his daughter named the general of the angel army hers. Grandfather killed Queen Seia and my mother killed my father."

He saw the startled look in Mikan's eyes and smiled sadly. "Yes the Seia who you told me about, was the queen of all the angels and a great friend of my father's."

He looked into the distance again.

"Her wounds were fatal, but she was still breathing when the war stopped. Ironically the one who was with her when she was dying was my grandfather, her slayer. He said that she vowed to him that she would repay her debt. He always believed that she meant to take revenge on the demons even from beyond the grave. But when you told me that she was coaching you, I realized his error."

Natsume sighed again. He had not relived these memories for many years now, but it was imperative that Mikan knew it all.

"Well the war was over and i went to live with the angels. I soon realized my mistake though. Most of them did not trust me, and some of them barely tolerated me. They had asked me to come solely because I was powerful and they wanted to know how much. But this did not hold true for all of them. There were some angels who became friends with me. It did not matter that I had black wings and that I was the next in line to the throne of the demons. I was just Natsume to them. Out of all of them the one who loved me the most was Ruka. He is Seia's grandson, and everyone expected him to hate me, since my granddad had killed her, but he did not care. When he first met me, he thanked me for stopping the war. His words were sincere because he truly did not want anyone else to lose their families the way he had lost his. He was always looked down upon for befriending me, his uncle was king of the angels after all, but he never turned his back on me."

Mikan was startled by the sudden change in Natsume's story telling where he had given up any pretense that he was not talking about himself. It was as if he had given up the prospect of ever trying to separate himself from his past.

"After a while I received a message from grandfather to visit him. I was scared. It did not matter how strong I was, I did not want the angels to hate me any more than they already did, but Ruka was adamant that I should go. I will be forever grateful to him for that. Because I went, I met the only living member of my family. Granddad truly loves me. He loved his children a lot and he had watched them die, and I had left him to go live with angels. He had been so unsure of sending me that invite, but he was so happy when I came. I will never forget the joy i brought him that day."

"My granddad had adopted a daughter after the war. Her parents had been his generals and had both perished in the war. She also became a very good friend of mine."

He gave her a sidelong glance then. She seemed to be taking all this fairly well.

"My association with demons isolated me more among the angels; but now i had a family which loved me, and friends who trusted me no matter what. I did not care for their rejection. Ruka visited the demon kingdom with me many times too. He was awed by the welcome they showed him. To them he was my best friend, not an angel. It always amazed us that the good angels were so narrow minded, while the bad demons could be so welcoming." He shook his head as he again remembered the look on Ruka's face when the Demon King had smiled at him and asked him to join him in a game of cards.

"Then one day Ruka told me that he had fallen in love with Hotaru, grandfather's adopted daughter. I was surprised but at the same time I was happy for him. But we all decided that if he lived among demons with her then that might make his uncle a bit too mad. So they got married in the demon world but lived with the humans. Their house was beautiful and I was always welcome to visit them."

"The angel king was curious as to where Ruka was and where I vanished all the time. It had been 10 years since their wedding and he had not even noticed that Ruka was missing for that long; and he said that Ruka did not care for him. King Persona had me followed, and thats how he knew where Ruka was and who he was with. After I left, the angels captured Ruka."

Mikan saw the play of emotions on his face. Even after all these years his anger had not faded.

"By the time I found Ruka, he had been tortured brutally. I was furious. I killed all the angels who had hurt him and then I took him back to his wife. Then I bonded their life forces together. Once I was sure he would be okay, i went back to deal with Persona."

"The angel king could not lose face in front of his people. He had to claim Ruka a traitor and me evil or he would not be able to keep the throne. Ruka was the rightful heir, but he had been young when the war ended and so Persona had taken the throne, but now he had no intentions of giving it back. By marrying a demon, Ruka had given him the perfect opportunity. But the king had not realized just how furious hurting my friends would make me. Terrified that I would kill him, he used a powerful weapon. It was the strongest weapon the angels had, and it could curse anyone to an eternity of terrible pain and loneliness. And so to save his skin and throne, Persona cursed me."

Mikan reached out and laced her fingers through his. He smiled at her, and again it was a very sad smile that made her want to cry for him.

"Of course everyone knew what had happened. This was the last straw for Ruka. He challenged Persona and became the new king. Then he tried to undo the curse. That proved easier said then done. But a lot of factors came into play and helped him. Only my angel half had been cursed since it was weapon made to punish traitors and so the demon half was still there. Also i had not been cursed by the rightful king and so the curse was weak. Ruka worked on it for a year and 3 days, not pausing to sleep or eat and beside him worked his wife. Together they finally figured out a way to change the curse so that it could eventually be broken and also so that it would be tolerable for me to bear it. The price was high though."

He looked away into the distance again.

"Ruka gave up his wings, and most of his powers as an angel so that he could modify the curse. Once he had accomplished that, he appointed a council to rule and left the angels forever. As a parting gift, he told them exactly what he thought of them. I came to live here and wait until the curse was finally broken."

"What is the curse Natsume?" Mikan was almost afraid to ask.

He sighed softly. "You lose your body and are turned into a spirit. But no one can see you or feel you. You forever suffer from hunger and thirst but cannot quench them. Every second you suffer a terrible agony as if your very bones were on fire and you were burning from the inside. You are cursed to roam the world in that condition forever."

Mikan's eyes were wide and filled with absolute horror. "For a year you went through that." she whispered.

"Not quite but close. My demon half could be sensed by others, and I could see my friends working to free me. I had hope." he murmured but she could tell that the pain was still fresh to him.

"When they changed the curse, you cannot imagine how grateful I was. I can take on material form. Even though it saps my strength and I feel pain, I can at least do it. I can be sensed by many and the terrible pain from before is nothing more than a dull ache. I could use many of my demon powers now. Oh it was a blessing to be free of that torture. But again there was a price. I could not stay close to demons or angels now. Since they had changed the curse, their presence could prove dangerous for me. So I still had to be alone."

"So you came to live here. But why? You must hate this place."

"I had no choice. Grandfather did not want to take any chances. This place is very strong, and it is attuned to me since the blood of my parents was spilled here. So grandfather placed a very strong spell here to keep both angels and demons out. This is my domain and only mortals can enter it. I can leave if I want but I was advised very strongly against doing this. So for 4 thousand years now I have stayed here waiting for the curse to break."

Mikan's eyes widened at the amount of time he had spent alone. He could see them filling with tears but he stroked her cheek with his free hand before they could fall.

"Its okay. Believe me, meeting you was worth all of that."

But that just increased Mikan's determination. "How can the curse be broken?"

"That is a tale for another day. The more pressing matter is the angel you met."

Totally shocked by the news Mikan had no reply whatsoever.

"Recently you have come in very close contact with an angel. That is why you have been lacking strength and why it was so hard for you to pass through the barrier around the mountain. Somehow I do not think it is a co incidence that an angel has come to the first friend I made in so many years."

"That is why you tole me about your past." Mikan stated.

"Yes. If there is an angel around, that you should know the danger. Who have you met recently who is the perfect person for you to take an instant liking to?"

Mikan's eyes widened again as Sumire's face came to her mind. "Sumire"

Natsume saw the look on her face and understood. "Be careful around her. Her intentions might be good but I doubt it."

"If I am around her then i cannot see you?" Mikan asked worried.

"No. If you keep coming here often then her magic cannot take a hold on you. But if you do not then I am not so sure." Mikan looked horrified.

"Hey calm down, I'll always be here for you." He pulled her close and she spent the rest of the day with him, just enjoying his presence. He made her laugh by asking the animals to bring her fruits to eat, and one tiny squirrel even brought her a pretty yellow flower.

Natsume looked at the girl sleeping with her head in his lap and he knew the day the curse would break was coming close. He could feel it.

"Soon I shall have my revenge." he whispered into the wind.


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story and its concept is entirely mine though.

Do leave Reviews please, they are my motivation for writing.

------

Okay so this chapter was not proof read either. Finals are here and this is my way of relaxing in between. Anyways please please review.. I need them to help me survive finals.

-----

Hotaru looked out of the car and a rare smile graced her face as her house came into view in the distance.

"Thats where I grew up." She pointed it out to Ruka.

"Beautiful." He was looking at her mesmerized. Hotaru turned his head to face the house and then gave him a quick peck on the cheek. His smile was dazzling. She rolled her eyes at him, "What do I see in you?" she asked rhetorically. "Well when you figure it out, do let me know. I should know what my best trait is." He grinned.

She sighed, "You are such a dork."

"But you love me anyways." Hotaru pushed him away. "Let me drive or we will end up driving over Dad's precious tea plants. That would be a great first impression."

Ruka settled back into his seat trying to hold back his smile. He loved it when Hotaru tried so hard to keep her cool look and failed. He was here to spend a week in the country with Hotaru and her family.

Just as Hotaru pulled into the driveway, they saw Mikan come flying out of the house.

"Hotaru you're finally here!!"

"Well someone's happy today." Ruka was smiling as he got out of the car.

Mikan gave him a hug. "Good to see you Ruka." and then she ran to Hotaru and gave her a big hug.

"Its so good to see you." Hotaru shook her head at Mikan's usual theatrics.

"Seriously, its not been that long since you saw me." Hotaru tried to push Mikan away.

Mikan stepped back and eyed her from head to toe, "You've lost weight."She said in a disapproving voice, and then glared at Ruka.

He shrugged sheepishly, "She finished a lot of work in small amount of time so that she would be free for the week. A very small amount of time."

"Its okay." Mikan relented, knowing how Hotaru got when she was working on something. "Lets go in. Grandma and I baked chocolate chip cookies for you guys."

-----

Ruka smiled as he looked around at Hotaru's family. He had met Mrs. Sakura before but this was the first time he was meeting Hotaru's parents. He had been nervous at first but they were really nice people and had accepted him quite easily. The fact that he was on such good terms with the Sakuras had probably helped too. He was a medical student in Tokyo, in his last year of school and had been dating Hotaru ever since she had moved to Tokyo. She was doing her undergrad in biochemistry and they both had really tight schedules usually so he was really glad for this chance to relax.

Then he felt it. He did not turn, but he did glance at Hotaru. He could tell that she had felt it too. Ruka excused himself on the pretext of going outside to take a look around the place in the moonlight. Mikan offered to go with him but he shook his head. He would have company all right, just not one that he wanted to share with the girl, yet.

"Long time no see." He said calmly as he walked along the tree line at the base of the mountain.

"No kidding. How long has it been?" Natsume replied.

"About a century I think." Ruka shrugged.

"Oh well its good to see you. So how is everyone?" Natsume asked.

"Terrible as always." He grinned as he repeated the long standing joke between them concerning demons.

Natsume rolled his eyes. Somethings never change.

"Granddad is still just as good at poker. You are the only one who has ever beaten him." Ruka said his voice soft, knowing full well how much his friend missed home.

Natsume shrugged, refusing to comment. They walked for a while in companionable silence.

"So now that you are here, feel like filling me in?" Natsume asked with an edge to his voice.

"Nah, now is not the time for that. Trust me on this."

Natsume sighed, letting the tension seep out of him. He had to trust Ruka or he had no hope whatsoever.

"How have you been?" Natsume smiled a bit at the genuine concern in Ruka's voice.

"Same as always. I am tired of just existing Ruka, that child makes me want to live again."

Ruka noticed the gentle way in which Natsume had referred to Mikan, but did not comment on it.

"Ruka, time to head in." They both turned to see Hotaru heading their way.

"Hey." Natsume greeted her.

"Hi" she replied "I know its been a while since you two saw each other but catching up will have to wait. Mikan can sense that you are here and I don't think its time for her to know everything yet."

"Definitely" Natsume agreed.

"Later Bro." Ruka called over his shoulder as he and Hotaru walked back to the house hand in hand.

Natsume moved back into the night. It was good to see his friends again. "Soon" he whispered into the night.

Somewhere far away an angel looked away from the scrying pool and shivered in fear.

------

Mikan stretched lazily. She had stayed up almost the entire night talking to Hotaru. It was so good to catch up with her cousin. She smiled as she padded out to take a morning run. Her stamina had increased dramatically since she had come here and especially since she had started training with Seia. She could function on almost no sleep too now.

Falling into the rhythm of the music playing on her ipod, she lost track of time and place. When she finally stopped to look around, she realized she was quite a way up in the mountain. She sighed, someday she would learn to keep track as to where she was going. Suddenly she felt someone behind her and whirled around to see Natsume.

"You snuck up on me." she accused.

"Its sad that even after so much training I can sneak up on you." He scolded.

"Hey now. No need to get nasty right in the morning." Mikan gave him a sweet smile and walked up to him. Before he knew what she was up to, she reached forward and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Natsume did not know how to react, and before he could anyways, she was running away at full speed.

"Race you to the bottom." she yelled.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, he tore after her. With his magic he could beat her in an instant, even without magic he would have no trouble beating her, and so of course she had cheated. He shook his head, he was more worried about her safety than about the race. Mikan cleared the trees an instant before Natsume caught up with her. She whooped and cheered. Natsume just laughed at her, she was such a kid. She took a step inside the trees to tease him about her victory and he grinned. Payback time.

"What happened to you?" Mrs. Sakura asked as Mikan walked into the house covered in leaves from head to toe.

"Somebody is a sore loser." she said pouting. She shook her head and at least ten leaves fell out of her hair, and she heard laughter in the distance.

"Damned brat, and he calls me a child." she grumbled.

Grandma shook her head at the crazy girl and sent her off to get a shower hoping that all the leaves and dirt would come off in one go.

-----

Mikan was stretched out on the rug besides Hotaru. They were watching a movie with Ruka. She was so glad that spring break had started just three days after she had found out about Sumire. This made it so much easier for her to avoid any contact with the angel.

Mikan felt Natsume's presence and she got up to go see him, but to her surprise Ruka sat up at the same time. She looked at him curiously and then it clicked.

"Ruka Nogi" she whispered softly, looking at Ruka and then she turned to Hotaru, and eyes wide she silently mouthed her name. Ruka looked at Hotaru horrified. He had not intended to get up, it had been instinct for him to move towards his friend, but now Mikan had made the connection. Ruka had thought that Mikan would scream and yell or at least question Hotaru in some way, instead she turned and ran outside. Startled he ran after her, afraid to let her go out in such a state.

Mikan ran straight for the trees. She was barefoot but she did not even notice it. Ruka was just a few steps behind her, Just as he caught up to her, she entered the tree line and he was thrown back as if he had ran into a wall. Mikan looked back at him. He had not been able to come through the barrier and had just confirmed all her suspicions. She watched as Hotaru, who had followed them, helped Ruka up.

"Come outside Mikan. We need to talk." Ruka said, his eyes almost pleading with her.

Mikan stepped back, tears were falling from her eyes as she looked at them. "Were you ever my friends or was I just someone you had to tolerate while you were here?"

"Its not like that." Hotaru snapped.

"Was i ever your family?" Mikan whispered.

"Of course, you still are." Hotaru answered.

Mikan heard the words but she was still crying. Her trust was shaken and nothing they said would make her believe. She ran into someone and she turned to see Natsume standing behind her. He was glaring at Ruka.

"Natsume." Mikan whispered and he looked down at her. His arms went around her and slowly as she looked into his eyes, she calmed a bit.

"Hotaru, you guys should go inside." Natsume said without looking up.

Ruka started to say something but Natsume silenced him with a look.

He gave Natsume one last apologetic glance and then started back.

-----

Natsume set Mikan down on the moss covered cave floor.

"Hey, look at me." When Mikan stubbornly refused to look up, he cupped her face in his hand. "Come on, Mikan please."

Slowly Mikan looked up at him. Her eyes were rimmed with tears and she looked like a lost little child.

"They love you Mikan. Because they have lived other lives, that does not make their feelings in this life any less real."

"You knew all along." Mikan accused.

"Hotaru grew up here. Of course I knew."

Mikan tried to move away from him but he would not let her.

"Hotaru loves you as if you were her sister. Would you have believed her if she had told you before you met me? and did you ever tell her that you knew me?"

Mikan stopped trying to get away, knowing that he was right. Her shoulders slumped and Natsume pulled her close.

"They never meant to hurt you." He murmured.

"They lied. You lied."

"You would not have understood. Look at how you are reacting now."

"I am not a child. I would have understood."

"You are a child, barely of 17 winters. We could not ever expect you to understand, and until I met you, there was no reason to tell you anything."

"Stop treating me like a child. I get it, I can understand." her voice was weak and heartbroken, and then Natsume realized what was wrong. She was feeling lost the same way she had when she had lost her parents, and his calling her a child was obviously not helping. She felt as if she had lost part of her family again.

"All right then, I'll treat you like an adult, but you better not regret it." Before Mikan even knew what he was up to, he pulled her completely onto his lap and kissed her. Natsume pulled away for a moment to look at her and then slowly he moved in for another kiss, giving her plenty of time to turn away, to stop him. She didn't.

Mikan was sitting in his lap, her head resting on his shoulder. Natsume had his arms wrapped around her and was stroking her hair.

"Why are they pretending to be human?" she asked him. She was calm now and he was glad for that.

"They are not pretending. They got their souls to be born as humans. So everything is real to them, but they just have memories of another life with them too."

"But why go through all the trouble of dying?"

Natsume shook his head. "They did not die. They left their bodies for safekeeping in Granddad's castle. Their souls will go into them again when they choose to stop living this life. Even though the soul has most of the power, it needs the right vessel to use it. In a human body, they cannot even access a tiny bit of their overall powers. This way they are weak enough to come close enough to the barrier to actually chat with me."

"They have come to visit you." she said softly.

"Yes. Its stupid of them to risk so much." Mikan gave him a questioning look.

"Their bodies are vulnerable while they are here and also this process is risky and in general a bad idea. They have only done it twice before "

"Always alone." she whispered as she snuggled closer to him.

"Not anymore, apparently." he teased.

"Natsume!" Mikan and Natsume both looked surprised as Ruka's voice rang out in the cave.

"Ruka whats wrong?" Mikan asked all her previous mistrust and anger forgotten upon hearing the urgency in Ruka's voice.

"Do not come near the barrier Natsume, and keep Mikan with you." Ruka replied, his voice tense.

"Who?" Natsume asked, his voice quiet but Mikan could sense his anger.

"Who else? I think our time as humans is up bro. Later." Before Ruka said the last syllable though, they heard a scream in the background.

Mikan looked at Natsume in terror. "I have to go. I cannot leave them alone. They're my family." She tried to get up but he pulled her back.

"There is nothing you will be able to do. Ruka and Hotaru can take care of themselves, and the angels will not hurt the humans. If you go you will be a liability to them."

"I have to help them."

"You are helping them. If you are here, that is one less person that they have to worry about."

Slowly Mikan sat back down. She spent that night worried out of her mind. The only thing that stopped her from going insane from it was Natsume's unshakable faith in Hotaru and Ruka.

When morning came, her nerves were shot. Then they heard Ruka's voice again.

"Its over. You guys can come down. I would not come too close to the barrier though if I were you, Natsume."

Within an instant they were at the foot of the mountain. Through the trees they saw Ruka sitting in the field cross legged, and Hotaru sat besides him, calm as ever. Mikan ran to them and before she knew it she was hugging Hotaru and tears were falling from her eyes again.  
"Are you okay?" Mikan asked.

"Yeah we're fine Mikan." Hotaru smiled at her. Ruka was looking at Natsume but he made no move to get closer to the trees.

As soon as he was sure that there was no danger to Mikan Natsume turned and left.

Mikan looked from Natsume to Ruka, not sure as to what was going on.

"Come on, we should catch some sleep before everyone else wakes up." Ruka said getting up.

"Yeah, I could use some rest." Hotaru shrugged. "Lets go Mikan."

Mikan looked from one to the other then slowly got up. She walked inside with her friends, not understanding but glad that nothing had happened to them.

-----

Natsume glared at the image floating in front of him.

"There is no point in being mad at me Natsume."

"You are the king of all demons and you could not keep some angels from killing Ruka and Hotaru." Natsume snapped.

"Killing? Oh please. I made sure that they had help in time."

"Not in time Granddad. They do not have human bodies anymore. Where does that leave me? Alone, again."

King Ash winced at the anguish in Natsume's voice.

"Just bear this a while more. Soon it will be over." He said.

"How do I know that? I do not even know how to break the curse, if it can be broken at all." Natsume's eyes were glowing in fury.

"Enough. The curse can be broken and soon it will be. In spite of what you say now, you can feel it too. There is a reason we have not told you how to break it. You spent 4000 years waiting here, don't you dare lose your patience now when we are so close."

Natsume stood chastised by his words.

"Forgive me. I should indeed know better."

"You are not the only one who suffers. Your pain is our pain Natsume. Trust me when I say that this will be over soon." With that the image of King Ash vanished, leaving Natsume to think about the things that had been said and those that had been left unsaid.

-----


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story and its concept is entirely mine though.

Do leave Reviews please, they are my motivation for writing.

------

Okay so this chapter was not proof read either. Finals are here and this is my way of relaxing in between. Anyways please please review.. I need them to help me survive finals.

-----

"Will you tell me what happened last night?" Mikan asked Ruka and Hotaru. They had the house to themselves, since Mrs. Sakura had gone shopping with Hotaru's parents.

Hotaru sighed. "We've been over this Mikan. It was not a big deal. Just let it go."

"If its not a big deal then why don't you just tell me?" Mikan retorted.

Hotaru opened her mouth to yell at her to shut up but Ruka cur her off.

"Mikan are you sure you wish to know? If we tell you, you will irrevocably become a part of our world. Do you want to be a part of an ancient war that does not concern you?" He said seriously.

"Yes." She was resolute.

"Fine then. For you to understand what happened last night, I need to fill you in on some events of the past. Tell me what Natsume has already told you, so i'll know what I still have to tell you."

Mikan repeated the story Natsume had told her.

Ruka nodded at the end. "Yeah that covers most of what happened before I changed the curse. The part you now need to know is what happened after Natsume came to live here. I gave up the angel throne because I was disgusted with them. I made the council that rules them now, and left. Most of the angels understood what had made me leave and changed their ways. Angels are peaceful by nature, and so it was not too hard for them to just forget the past and move on.

But a faction still remained who were not so forgiving. These angels believed it all to be a demon conspiracy. Demon king had killed their Queen and now his adopted daughter had led her grandson, their king, astray. The only leader they had was Persona, my uncle. I had not killed him when I had taken the throne, and now he lived in exile. These angels went to him, and together they formed a strange group bent on revenge.

They have been trying for the past four thousand years to kill Natsume, because they believe that Nastume will attack and enslave all the angels once he is released. Time and again they have tried to get past the barrier and failed. Whenever we have come in human form, the angels attack us, worried that we might be about to break the curse.

They are very interested in you, since they know that you are a friend of Natsume's. Last night an angel came to kidnap you and take you for questioning. We saw her right after you left with Natsume. It was easy to get rid of her human form, but she called in reinforcements, and our human forms were destroyed before help came. That is why neither of us can go near enough the barrier to talk with Natsume any more."

At this point Ruka sighed. For the first time, he looked so much older than his twenty or so years.

"How can the curse be broken?" Mikan asked.

Instead of Ruka it was Hotaru who answered.

"Its not a process, its a condition. When that condition is fulfilled, the curse will break on its own. Natsume does not know it and its not the right time for you to know either."

"Okay. I can live with that. By the way, why does my soul have so much spiritual power?"

"I am not sure. Its probably because your family has been living here for a long time. This is a very powerful place. Other than that, I have no clue." Hotaru said.

The rest of the day went by without incident.

-----

That night Mikan went into the forest to see Natsume.

"Hey" He said when he saw her.

Mikan smiled but kept walking. Natsume raised an eyebrow as she came to stand toe to toe with him. Mikan had to tilt her neck back to look into his eyes, then still smiling she reached up as if to kiss him, and then suddenly gave him a light punch and jumped back.

"Fooled you. You should have seen your expression." She was on the forest floor laughing.

"You little brat." Natsume could not keep his annoyed expression though. Her laughter was infectious and he could not help but join in.

"So what brought you here tonight? I thought you had had quite enough of this place last night." Natsume asked when they had finally stopped laughing. She sat across from him, with her back to a tree.

"I like this place. I find it, and you, peaceful." Mikan replied.

"I see." For a long while after that they sat in companionable silence.

"What will you do when the curse breaks?" Mikan asked suddenly.

"If the curse breaks." Natsume corrected.

"It'll break. I am sure of that. So tell me what will you do?" His pessimism was not very effective on her.

"I will have my revenge on Persona."

"Is that all? You are immortal, so won't you have forever even after you take your revenge? What will you do?"

Natsume was silent for so long that she thought he might not answer.

"I am not sure. When I first came to this place, i thought the curse would be broken soon, and at that time all I could think of was to be free. But as the years passed, everything lost its appeal to me. Even freedom now only means finally punishing the person who did this to me. Hate lasts very long Mikan, longer than most other emotions."

"I see. Obviously you hate him, and want to punish him; but I want you to have good dreams too. Isn't it too morbid to just have revenge to look forward to? There needs to be something else as well."

"I suppose that is a valid argument. So what do you suggest i should do when I am free?"

Mikan felt her heart become lighter when he used the word "when" instead of the "if" he had used before.

"I think you should go exploring. You have been cooped up here for too long, everything has changed. You need to go out and see whats out there now. You need to become tech-savvy and you have to visit all the big cities."

Natsume smiled at the image she painted for him, and in his mind's eye, he could see himself doing this with her by his side.

"I know. Can you paint Natsume?" MIkan asked out of the blue.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Then you have to paint. You have to show the world how you see it. I bet your perspective will be so different from everyone else's. I would love to see your art." Mikan was already all starry eyed about it.

Natsume shook his head at her. She was so optimistic, he wished he could have some of it too. In his heart he knew that the image she painted was too good to be true for him. Even before he had been cursed, happiness had been elusive. But he did not have the heart to say that to her, to break the plans that this innocent girl made for him, and so he went along, vowing silently that he would make them come true if ever given the chance.

------

Demon King Ash stood in front of an angel.

"Leave them alone, or I will move my armies against you. The world be damned, if you or any of your angels come near that place again, I will destroy you all."

Persona gave him a mocking laugh.

"You would not dare."

"Try me then and you will find out. Let those children be Persona, or you will realize just how bloodthirsty the demons can be." With that, the King turned and left.

"Will you do what he says, my Lord?" Sumire asked.

"There is no reason to test his patience right now. The human forms of the traitor and his wife are destroyed so they cannot help the halfling. As for the human, well what can a human do in the grand scheme of things anyways? No, for now we move back, and keep an eye on them from a distance."

"As you wish, my Lord." Sumire murmured and vanished into the night, leaving Persona to figure out his next plan of attack.

------

All too soon, Ruka and Hotaru's vacation came to an end, and they went back to Tokyo. Mikan's schedule returned to normal, except that she now barely talked to Sumire in school. Everyday her control over he spiritual powers increased under Seia's training; and everyday she came to love more and more the time she spent with Natsume.

---


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story and its concept is entirely mine though.

Do leave Reviews please, they are my motivation for writing.

----

Author Note: Happy New Year 2010!!

Happy Reading :)

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Natsume stood on the ledge. Today was the anniversary of his parents deaths. Incidentally, it was also exactly one year since he had first met Mikan. He held his hand out, as if to grasp something but he had no idea what he wanted anymore. There seemed to be something that was eluding him but for the life of him he could not figure out what. He knelt down, and picked up the pebbles in his right hand.

"_Softly the leaves of memory fall_

_Slowly I'll gather and pick them all,_

_Today tomorrow and all my days through_

_I'll cherish every moment spent with u." _

He recited the lines his father used to say. This had been his ritual since the first anniversary of their death. To stand on this ledge from which he had seen them kill each other, and say the words his father had liked to say. He did this to remind himself to forever cherish the good things he had in his life.

"There you are." He turned to see Mikan.

He let the rocks fall to the ground and straightened up. "I know where I am. Question is, why are you here?" he asked, his voice cool.

"Don't be like that. I came because I wanted to see you."

He stepped towards her. He wondered if she knew she had found her in his most vulnerable moment. _Had she felt his pain? _When he reached Mikan he pulled her close and hugged her. She said nothing as she held him. Tears fell from her eyes. Tears for the pain that he refused to show. Ever since she had met him, she could feel his emotions. Today she had sensed his agony and had come looking. Now as he held her, she cried for him.

When he finally stepped away, he gave her a strange look.

"'Stop crying for me. If it was that bad, would I not be doing it myself?" he asked as he wiped her tears.

She shook her head. "You are too stubborn."

He chuckled and then taking her by the hand led her away.

"Where are we going?" Mikan asked after they had been walking for a while.

"You'll see."

Soon they reached the small clearing he had wanted to show her. It was filled with flowers, and absolutely breathtaking. "Beautiful" she breathed.

Natsume smiled. He had done what he had wanted, she had cheered up and that gave him a sense of peace.

Later on, Natsume sat in that field in the moonlight after he had seen Mikan home.

A tiny caterpillar crawled onto his hand. He chuckled as he imagined what would have happened if this had been Mikan's hand. She would have jumped and screamed, and then jumped and screamed some more. He loved it about her.

Natsume became very still. His thoughts had made him come face to face with a very disturbing fact. He loved everything about her. He loved everything she did. Even when she annoyed him, a part of him enjoyed it.

_He was in love with her. _

Panic filled Natsume's mind. He could not be in love and definitely not with a human. Human's were so fragile, with such small life spans. She would be gone in the blink of an eye and he would be left alone. It would not matter even if he was free of the curse, if she was not there then it was worthless.

_Without her, he was meaningless. How could he have allowed her to become so important to him? He should stop this, but the thought of not seeing her again made his heart ache. _

_What in hell am I going to do?_

Natsume sat there the whole night thinking only to come to one conclusion, _He Loved Mikan more than anything, and there was not one damned thing he could do about it. She mattered more to him now than his revenge, more than even breaking the curse. _

King Ash was surprised when he received the summon. It was not often that Natsume had enough power to actually be able to call him. He waved a hand and the image popped . in front of him. Natsume was pacing in a clearing and he looked really worried.

"What happened?"

"I need a favor from you granddad. Will you help me?" Natsume asked.

Ash was stunned. Natsume had never ever asked for help. "Okay. What do you need?" Maybe this was just an elaborate prank.

"I need you to tell me how to make a human immortal."

Realization dawned. "You love that girl." He said softly.

"Yes." There was no doubt in Natsume's voice.

Ash said nothing but at that moment he was glad that Natsume did not know how the curse could be broken.

"I will look into it for you and let you know as soon as I find something." with that Ash was gone.

Natsume scowled at the spot where seconds ago an image of his granddad had been. Ash had left a bit too quickly, and Natsume had a feeling that he had been hiding something.

He sat back down, now he had even more things to worry about.

-------

Ruka and Hotaru stood in the throne room unsure as to why they had been called here.

"Its done. The condition to break the curse has been recognized. Now it only needs to be fulfilled." King Ash declared to them.

"Mikan." said Hotaru softly.

"Yes, only she can free Natsume." King Ash said quietly.

"How are we to do this?" Ruka asked. His face was resolute. They had known that this would happen someday.

"Spread the rumor that she can free Natsume. As soon as the angels find out, they will attack. That's all that we want."

Ruka and Hotaru left the demon world. Both of them knew that they were betraying Natsume, but at the same time, this was the only way that they could free him.

-------

**1 Month Later: **

Natsume was laughing at Mikan's story. She was telling him how she had played a prank in school and no one had been able to find out it was her.

"Can't believe this is my last year of high school." She said suddenly.

"Time flies sometimes." Natsume answered.

"I want it to stay still. I want this time here to last forever." Mikan said softly. A strange sadness and vulnerability had crept into her voice.

She looked up as Natsume wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Baka, if you had thought like this before, then we would never have met. If you move forward then you experience so many new things."

She turned to face him. "I don't want to anymore. I just want you..." Mikan was cut off as Natsume placed a finger on her lips.

"Enough." She felt his pain, he wanted time to stay still even more than she did. But he had accepted reality.

His tears were flowing from her eyes again.

"Who's the baka now?" she mumbled as he hugged her.

After a while Mikan was lying down with her head in his lap. He was stroking her hair.

"We really need to do something about you."

She gave him a quizzical look.

"Well, being an empath is all well and good but I can't have you crying all the time." Natsume answered.

Mikan pouted. "If you will be happy than I will not cry."

Natsume looked away.

She reached up and cupped his face. "I want to see a day when there is no pain in your eyes. Even when you laugh, there is something missing. I want to see you happy Natsume."

"And people in hell want ice water." Natsume retorted.

"So pessimistic." Mikan grumbled.

"All right, thats it. Time for you to go home. You've annoyed me more than enough for today."

Mikan pouted all the way down the mountain. But just as Natsume was leaving, she kissed him on the cheek and then left for her house.

He shook his head. She was so unpredictable sometimes.

That night Natsume had a bad feeling. A terrible premonition. He was unable to sit still so he went down the mountain. He stood just inside the tree line, watching her house.

Mikan too had been feeling very uneasy. When she felt Natsume's presence, she could not help but come outside.

As she walked towards him, three people materialized near her.

"Take her." Sumire snapped.

Natsume's eyes widened in shock but before he could do anything Mikan had escaped from the angels. She had been trained for so long by Seia that she was really strong now. In an instant, she was besides Natsume, inside the barrier.

Natsume took her hand in his. At the same time he was glaring at the angels.

For now they were safe inside the barrier, but even as he said this, he felt a rift. The barrier vanished in an instant, leaving them open to attack.

Natsume turned and ran with Mikan. Taking her higher in the mountain where he would be able to protect her better. The angels had not started following but he knew that they would be coming soon. Mikan and Natsume finally came to a stop in a clearing.

"Whats going on?" Mikan asked as she gasped for breath.

"The barrier collapsed and the angels are after you. Thats all I know for now." Natsume answered.

Five angels stepped into the clearing around them. Mikan and Natsume stood back to back, ready to fight. Natsume raised a hand into the air and broke the small sea shell that he was holding. That was a signal to the demons that he needed help. But he had no idea when they would arrive.

Five more angels came into the clearing.

"Well at least both of us get an equal share." Mikan chuckled.

"Yeah." He answered grinning. The odds were definitely against them but at the same time he knew how strong Mikan was, and he had no intention of losing either. It had been a while since he had felt the thrill of battle.

------


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story and its concept is entirely mine though.

Do leave Reviews please, they are my motivation for writing.

----

Author Note: If you guys like this story, do please review. If you don't, then tell me why not.

----

Ruka tapped his foot in impatience as the elevator made it's way to Natsume's penthouse. He hated the rule that no one but Natsume could enter his place using magic. Finally the elevator came to a stop. Ruka stepped outside, and just as he raised his fist to knock, the door swung open. With a sigh he entered the place. It was his forst time into this particular penthouse but he knew exactly what it would be like. Natsume owned a penthouse in the tallest building of almost all major cities of the world, and they all looked completely alike on the inside.

Natsume's place consisted of two separate floors. The lower floor was where the elevator came, and had a very spacious living room, a kitchen and a den. The den was also a dvd and books library as well as a xbox 360 gaming station. The walls of the living room had one wall made completely of glass, while the other was covered with several art pieces. The kitchen was only partially separated from the living room.

In one corner of the living room was a spiral staircase. It led to the second floor where Natsume allowed very few people to come. The staircase led into his studio. It consisted of large glass walls and a huge skylight. The room was lit up only by moonlight right now, and looked very ethereal. It had a woden floor and it was filled with many canvases. Some of the finished paintings were displayed on the side. Natsume himself stood in the centre, working on a painting.

Ruka noticed the the bedroom door was ajar. His bedroom was on the other side of the studio. It was a spacious room, with a large window on one side. In one corner stood a large four poster bed without drapes. The rest of the room was empty, but the walls were covered in pictures. It was a room that no one was allowed to enter.

Natsume looked up as Ruka came close. At the same time, the bedroom door snapped shut of its own accord.

"Hey" Ruka said.

"Why are you here?" Natsume asked.

"Can't I come to visit my best friend without a reason?"

"You can. But today you came for a reason. Say it."

Ruka almost flinched. Natsume's ability to read people was very strong. He was just glad that Natsume could not read the actual thoughts.

"I have a proposition." Ruka managed to say.

"About?"

"Your art."

For the first time since Ruka had arrived, he had Natsume's full attention. "What about my art?"

"I think it would be good to show it to other people. I know it would be stupid to suggest selling it, but there is nothing wrong with putting up exhibitions once in a while."

"Why would I want to show it to other people?" Natsume asked in a cold voice.

"Because she wanted the world to see your perspective of it. Thats why she wanted you to become an artist, isn't it?"

Natsume looked away from Ruka. He knew she had wanted him to be a world renowned artist. "My art is too personal Ruka. Even though you say that, I do not find it something that I can share easily."

"I understand, but many people who see it will take it at face value. They will not know who you make it for. She will never see it Natsume, but she would want everyone else to see it."

Natsume sighed, then nodded. "Alright then. Find me a manager. Since you started this, you will be taking full responsibility."

"Of course." With a parting wave to Natsume, Ruka vanished.

Natsume looked back at the painting he was working on. It showed a moonlit forest with a girl sleeping in the middle of it. Her back rested against a tree, and she had an open book in her lap. His heart ached from the sight. He wished so much that he could reach out and touch her. But that would never happen.

Suddenly his phone rang. Natsume flicked out his cell phone. There was only one person who called him.

"Hello Mrs. Sakura." Natsume said quietly.

"Hello Natsume." she replied. "How have you been?"

"I am okay. What about you?"

"Nothing troubles me. I am just an old woman after all." She chuckled.

Natsume shook his head. She was one of the kindest souls he knew. If she had not been there... he did not even want to think about it.

"So why is this old woman calling me?" he asked.

"I made some tea that i think you'll enjoy. I was hoping you could join me for a cup."

"I'd like to have tea with you. But how about we have it here? I think you will enjoy the view." Natsume replied.

"That sounds fine to me." as soon as she had finished the sentence, Mrs. Sakura found herself in Natsume's studio. She smiled at him, as her tea tray, two chairs and a table appeared too.

"Do you like the place?" Natsume asked as he put his phone in his pocket.

"It is beautiful."

They spent the next few hours chatting, as the night turned into a beautiful morning. Mrs. Sakura smiled as she gazed at the Eiffel tower. "You do have good taste sometimes."

Natsume chuckled. "I always have good taste."

"Right. Well I will be the judge of that when I see your exhibition. I know your art but I wonder how well the atmosphere at the exhibition will compliment it."

"We shall see." Natsume said coolly as he accepted the challenge she had given him. The exhibition would not only show his art, but also show the feelings with which he made it. After a while, Natsume sent her back to her place. Back to a tea plantation in Japan.

-----

Author Note: I know this does not seem like a chapter end, but I m breaking one chapter into 2. sorry for that, and I hope you like it. It was either i publish this, or not publish anything for like 2 more weeks. Do leave reviews to tell me if you want a happy or tragic end.


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story and its concept is entirely mine though.

Do leave Reviews please, they are my motivation for writing.

--------

Author Note: Okay so I was not supposed to write this for a while, but I did good on a mid-term today and chose to not do any more school work. This part completes the other chapter. There is still more to the story. I am still waiting for more votes to tell me if there should be a happy or tragic end.

Happy Reading :)

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Natsume sat in a clearing in the mountain. When he had been trapped in these mountains, he had vowed to never come back here. Now when he was free, he still came here very often. This was the place where he had spent time with her. Even with all the terrible things that had happened here, it was somewhere he could be close to her. It always felt like she would step out of the trees any moment. He wanted to see her so badly that it hurt, but that would never happen again.

He sighed, then suddenly straightened.

"Come out." he called.

To his surprise Hotaru walked out from behind the trees. "Hey" she said softly.

"Hi." he said and patted the spot next to him. Hotaru sat down besides him. He hadn't seen her since that day. It seemed like it was just yesterday and yet at the same time it felt as if it was forever ago. They sat together in silence for a while.

"You should stay away from Ruka." Natsume said suddenly.

Hotaru looked at him in surprise. "Where did that come from?"

"You used to be able to say exactly what you thought. Now here you are, struggling with what you want to say to me. It's been five years Hotaru."

She sighed as she leaned back against a tree trunk. "Ruka warned me that you were very good at reading people now. He was right." she sighed again. "I know it's been five years Natsume. The pain just does not go away. You never meant for it to happen, but me, I helped plan it."

"You planned it because you wanted me to be free. If you really want to play the blame game, then it's all my fault. I was stupid enough to get cursed. I was the one who got her involved. I was the on who fell in love with her. I am the reason she did not dodge that dagger. For my freedom, she chose to die. I am the reason Mikan died." There were no tears in Natsume's eyes, but Hotaru knew that his heart was broken. He believed every word he had said. He blamed himself for the death of his love.

"Natsume, I..."

"Its okay Hotaru. I am not spending the freedom I have finally achieved, in mourning. I am traveling the world, as she wanted me to. I paint my view of the world. I try to live the life she envisioned for me. I want her to be there, but there is nothing I can do about it. You should stop living in the past too. You did what you had to. That's the end of it."

Hotaru could not stop the tears that came then. She had not seen Natsume since she saw him that night, holding onto Mikan's dead form. She had not been able to face him ever since. Yet here he was, helping her get over the death of the person he had loved most in the world.

Natsume wrapped his arm around her. "Never thought you were the crying sort of woman." he said when she stopped crying.

"She was family to me. I was her cousin. Her best friend. I was supposed to protect her." she said in a miserable voice.

"That's enough Hotaru. Stop blaming yourself. Even if you have forever to live, that does not mean that you should not cherish every moment of it. I speak from experience, Live fully every moment that you can, or you will regret it."

She nodded at his words. "I'll try." He gave her a small smile. "You know that you are family to me, I want you and Ruka to be happy, Hotaru."

She was stunned at his words. She had never thought he would be this kind to her. Her guilt had made it impossible to face him, she had no idea how Ruka had been with him. That was when she understood Ruka's words from that night.

**_5 years ago: _**

_"Ruka don't. Natsume will kill you if you go near him." Hotaru whispered as she stared at Natsume's profile in the distance holding onto Mikan. _

_"I have to go. I can't leave him alone to deal with this. He needs me to be there." _

_She had walked with Ruka into the clearing where Natsume sat hugging Mikan. They were both covered in blood. Mikan's blood. When Natsume looked up at them, she could not bear to see the pain there and had looked away. That's when Hotaru knew for sure that Mikan was dead. She was gone forever. _

_Ruka had walked up to Natsume, knelt besides him and hugged him. she had thought that Natsume would push him away but he hadn't. He hadn't done anything. In his pain he had taken the comfort given to him without any questions. In spite of that she had not been able to stay. She could not bear to look at them. She knew she had failed Mikan, and in doing so, she had failed Natsume as well. _

_As she had walked away only one scene kept playing in her mind. Natsume and Mikan fighting back to back. She had watched as Mikan had felled the second last angel. Natsume was still fighting the last angel. Then suddenly one of the angels had thrown a knife at Mikan from where he was on the ground. She could have dodged, but then it would have hit Natsume. There wasn'y enough time to warn him, and if she had tried to pull him away then he would have been stabbed by the angel he was fighting. So she had stayed where she was. She had allowed the dagger to embed itself in her heart. She had chosen him over her own life. _

_Just as Mikan started to fall, Natsume had felled his opponent. He had turned, and had caught her before she could hit the ground. A look of disbelief on his face as he had understood what must have happened. _

_Natsume had cradled her gently to him. He had been trying to heal her, to do something, anything to make the wound non-fatal. But she had pulled the dagger out. It was almost as if she had known that her death would free Natsume. Even at a distance, Hotaru had heard the words Mikan had whispered to him._

_----_

Hotaru had walked away because she had not known how to face Natsume. Ruka hadn't either, but he had known that Natsume would need his friend.

"Stop thinking too much." Natsume said as he smacked her on the head.

She shook her head. Then gave him a small smile.

He stood up, and then pulled her to her feet. "Come on. I haven't seen you in forever. Let's go, there is a cafe in Paris that I wanna take you to."

She allowed him to take her away. She was glad to have her friend back.

------

**2 Months Later:**

Mrs. Sakura smiled as she opened up Natsume's first art exhibition. She was amazed by how good a job they had done on the ambiance of the place. She spent a long time looking at one of his paintings. It was the one he had been working on the night she had had tea with him. She could tell it was Mikan who was sleeping in the moonlit forest. She missed her terribly, but fate could not be changed. She was just glad that even though she had lost her precious grand daughter, her death had led to the liberation of the person she loved.

**_5 years ago (contd.) :_**

_Mikan was in Natsume's arms. She could see the tears shining in his eyes. "You idiot. Why didn't you dodge?" _

_Mikan chuckled. "Didn't wanna." _

_He turned his pained gaze, onto the dagger protruding from her chest. He knew that if he took it out there would be no way to save her. He needed to make sure that there was no more damage done to her until the demons got there. They would be able to heal her. _

_Suddenly Mikan was looking at something. Her eyes were focussed on the spot next to him. It was almost as if someone was kneeling in front of them and she was listening to them. _

_Mikan was looking at Seia who had materialized next to them. _

_"Mikan the only way to lift the curse is for Natsume to not want to break it anymore. If you die, the curse will be broken, because he would rather be cursed than lose you. If you pull that dagger out, your heart will not be able to take it. You will die and he will be free. The choice is yours to make." _

_Natsume sensed the change in Mikan, but before he could do anything she grabbed the hilt of the dagger and pulled it out. He looked on in horror as the blood gushed out. _

_"No, Mikan please... no.." _

_She raised her hand to cup his face. "You will be free now." she whispered. _

_"I don't want to be free. I just want you." _

_"I love you Natsume. I give you an eternity of freedom. You will have to live for both of us." she whispered. Those were the last words Mikan Sakura ever spoke. _

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	11. Chapter 11

I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story and its concept is entirely mine though.

Do leave Reviews please, they are my motivation for writing.

-------

Author Note: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Again this is not the end. I'll try and update soon. "The fans have spoken" - so there will be a happy ending. Maybe :P

Happy Reading :)

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"The hottest news for the day. Today it was announced that two months from now, a new collection of paintings from Natsume Hyugga will be unveiled. This has created a huge stir in the media." - News Caster 1.

"Of course there is a stir. Even the unveiling of one of his paintings leads to a major frenzy, but a whole new collection, that is amazing. After all he is the most mysterious artist, there is." - News Caster 2.

"Yes indeed. His paintings took the art world by storm when they were first shown **15 years** ago. Since then, one after another, he has unveiled many paintings. Even a lot of museums and galleries have them for display. But the most interesting part is, that he refuses to sell any of them. He gives them away to be displayed to the public,but would never sell them no matter how much money he is offered. Not to mention, we barely know anything about him. Not even a single picture exists." - News Caster 1.

"He is the biggest mystery of all. Many people claim to have met him, in his exhibitions, but we can, of course never be sure. This new collection of his, is generating a major interest also for the reason because it is said to contain some of his earliest art." - News Caster 2.

"That's right. Its not paintings that he just made, but a project that he has been working on for a very long time. His manager actually admitted that it took her years to convince Mr. Hyugga to show these paintings to the world. I can hardly wait to see them. It's name is 'Sakura"but other than that, nothing else about the collection is known yet."

Suddenly the screen went blank.

"Hey! I was watching that." Ruka grumbled.

"Watch it in your own house." Natsume snapped at him, as he turned on music and picked out a book to read.

"You know full well that I am not allowed in my house right now." Ruka pouted.

"And I also know how many houses you own. Just because you are not allowed where Hotaru is staying, does not mean that you cannot enter any of them."

"But what if she wants a change if scenery and goes to stay in one of them? I am not bothering her. I value my life." Ruka said with a theatrical sigh.

Natsume sat on the couch next to him. Ruka had been at his place for two days now. Hotaru was working on a project and so she had kicked out the distraction, namely Ruka. Natsume thought it was funny as hell, especially since he knew that she was working on Ruka's valentine's day present. He sighed, it wasn't that he did not enjoy Ruka's company, it was just that a bored Ruka could be very dangerous. For now he was having fun by spreading rumors about Natsume, and then watching people talk about him on the news. But who knew what he would do if he got any more bored. This angel was very famous for his pranks in the demon world.

"Fine. I will not entertain myself at your expense. I just don't know what to do. It is not unusual for Hotaru to kick me out, but I still miss her a lot." Ruka laid his head back on the couch, and closed his eyes.

"There is something that you could do." Natsume said in a gentle voice. It always touched him, how much Ruka loved Hotaru.

"What?" Ruka asked, instantly perking up.

"How about you make a present for her? To tell her how much you missed her?"

"Make a present. Interesting. I like this plan. Thanks Natsume." In an instant Ruka vanished. Natsume could not help but chuckle. His friend had a bright and optimistic personality but it had been obscured by all that they had gone through. Now finally it was showing through again.

Natsume gave up on his idea to read the book. Ruka's excitement was infectious in a way. Instead he decided to go out. There was a place where he loved to spend his evenings. It was quaint restaurant on the river side, near London. Even as he sat down though, a strange feeling came over him; a restlessness, as if he was missing something. Not that something was wrong, but that something was off. Like it was not supposed to be this way.

He looked around, trying to figure out what was giving him this feeling, but everything seemed normal. A sudden compulsion made him look out across the river. A slender figure stood there, and as he watched she turned and walked away. He wanted to stop her, to call out to her, but he could not move. By the time he thought of stopping her, she was already gone. He had seen nothing but a silhouette. Truth be told he could not even be sure if it was a girl or not, but somehow he knew it had been a girl; just like he knew that he had to meet her, but he had no idea why.

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Natsume found himself in London once again. He had come here without thinking. Ever since he had seen that "girl" 2 days ago he had not been able to concentrate on anything. He had been roaming London aimlessly hoping to run into her, but no such luck. It really was not a surprise, considering how big the city was, and that he had seen her in a place near the outskirts. Not to mention she might not even be from here, but even as he told himself all these reasons for not being able to find her, he still kept walking, looking for that shadowy silhouette that he could not get out of his mind.

He realized he was in the heart of the city, when he noticed the Big Ben. It was 1 am. Disgusted with himself, he flashed back to his place in Paris. He could have stayed in London but he knew that if he did, he would find himself out on the street with an hour.

He stopped short in his living room though. Ruka was back and was playing on a grand piano that had not been there the last time Natsume had been in his house. Deciding not to harass Ruka over it, he walked up to the piano and leaned on the wall next to it, listening to the beautiful melody.

"Never knew you liked Fur Elise." Natsume commented when Ruka stopped.

"It's a beautiful melody. I have another one, that I want you to listen to." Ruka replied.

Natsume listened in silence to the song that Ruka played. It was haunting and soothing at the same time. Natsume was transfixed by the music. It had been so long since he had heard something so exquisite.

"What do you think?" Ruka asked when he had finished.

"Hotaru will love it. It's beautiful." Natsume said in genuine appreciation.

Ruka smiled, his gaze faraway and a very kind look on his face. Natsume felt a pang go through him. He had seen that look only on one face for him, and he could not see that face anymore. Without a word he flashed himself to Japan. He walked in the mountains until he was exhausted yet his brain refused to rest. He kept seeing her, again and again. Every moment he had shared with her, flashing in front of his eyes. She was so close to him in his memories but so far away in reality. All he wanted was a chance to hold her again. To see her smile, to hear her laughter, to listen to her talk. All he wanted was her, all of her, and that was the one thing completely denied to him.

He wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all. He had never harmed anyone in his life. He had not even taken revenge upon the angels who had cursed him. He had dedicated his life to peace, had never asked anyone for anything. Yet he had never had any peace.

Lost in his thoughts, Natsume had not been paying attention to where he was going. He suddenly found himself on the ledge. He looked out, seeing the forest yet seeing nothing but her face. Slowly, finally, after 20 years, the tears started to fall. Her loss was unbearable for him. In all his life, he had never allowed himself to succumb to his grief. Yes, tears had fallen from his eyes every once in a while, but he had never truly cried. Yet today he cried, completely overcome by the feeling of emptiness in his heart. His pain felt raw, nothing could soothe it. He would give up his life in a heartbeat, just to see her again. Today he cried for himself, he cried because she could no longer do it for him. He cried because she would never be able to cry his tears again.

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	12. Chapter 12

I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story and its concept is entirely mine though.

**Do leave Reviews please, they are my motivation for writing.**

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She was running through a forest. She could barely hear anything over the frantic pounding of her heart but she knew she was being followed. It was really dark so she could barely see where she was going, but it seemed like the forest itself was moving out of her way; helping her escape. Still she suddenly stumbled. Before he could fall a pair of strong arms grabbed her. She found herself looking into a pair of red eyes.

Rochelle woke up with a start. Her heart was still pounding and she was drenched in cold sweat. She hated it when she had such nightmares. Her dreams had always been vivid but they had become very similar to nightmares over the past month. If she did not know better, she would say that something was going to happen. Shaking her head to clear it of the spooky thoughts, she headed into the washroom. When even a shower could not completely get rid of her jitters, she decided to go for a run. It was 4:30 am, and so it was not too early for a morning run.

She had been out for about half an hour when she realized she was being followed. Before she could do anything about it though, somebody grabbed her from behind.

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Natsume was lying in bed. He had been lying there for a few hours now and yet had not been able to sleep. He had turned the ceiling transparent and was gazing at the stars. But now suddenly he felt restless. He flashed himself to a nearby park to go for a run. He ran flat out for nearly an hour, then near dawn he lay down on the grass. That was when he heard it. Laughter floating on the wind. Initially he thought that he was dreaming, but then he sat bolt upright. It was not a dream. He could hear _her _laughter.

Natsume ran in the direction. When he reached there a very unusual sight greeted him. Three large men who looked a lot like the type who would mug somebody were kneeling on the ground. In front of them stood a petite girl. She was slender with long auburn hair.

"Are you okay?" Natsume asked.

"I'm fine." She said as she looked at Natsume.

"I was asking your would be attackers actually. I am sure they have a battered body and no pride left now." He chuckled.

She looked at him surprised at first then just burst out laughing. Natsume paled but he managed to keep his expression the same. It was this girl's laughter that he had heard.

"I'm Natsume. Are you done with this lot?" He asked casually.

"Yes. I'm just waiting for the cops. I'm Rochelle but I go by Mika." She replied.

Natsume nodded. He ended up waiting with her till the cops came, and then taking her to a nearby cafe for coffee.

Two hours and three coffees later, Natsume parted ways with Rochelle, with a promise of meeting her for lunch. He could not believe that he was so captivated by a girl. There was something about her that drew him to her. Just being near her made him feel less hollow, less empty. She was nothing like Mikan and yet while he was with her he felt the way he had when he was with Mikan. He felt alive.

A few hours later he was picking her up for lunch. She smiled at him as she turned back from locking her apartment. Suddenly she pouted. "Why do I have to be so tiny?"

Natsume laughed. "You are not tiny."

"Yes I am. I am 5 feet 4, while everyone else is like a foot taller than me. Even you are taller than me."

"Well I am just 6 feet 1, so its not that bad. Anyways, you do not look tiny."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Okay fine, maybe you do, but not by a lot. You did kick the butts of those guys who tried to harass you." he tried to pacify her.

"Uh huh." She grouched.

Natsume shook his head. She was slender which made her look taller than she was. Her long auburn hair looked beautiful, especially in contrast to her fair skin. Her most striking feature though were her eyes. The changed colors between a deep gold and a dark brown depending on her mood and the lighting. She was beautiful, and she most definitely did not think so.

He opened the car door for her, and then walked to the other side. Just as he got in, his phone rang. He flicked it open, annoyed.

"Yes?" He put all the sarcasm he could into that one word.

"GODDAMNIT NATSUME!!! WHERE IN HELL ARE YOU???" Ruka yelled.

Natsume moved the phone a foot from his ear. "What is it?"

"YOU..." Ruka stopped himself with an effort. He took a deep breath to cool his anger a bit. "Your exhibition is ready and you were supposed to go over it a final time with your manager. You stood her up and so after waiting for three effing hours she called my wife. So I got thrown out of the house, AGAIN!!"

Natsume chuckled. "And I care about this because?"

"If you do not get your ass down here ASAP, I will show up to where you are and stick to you like glue until my dear wife is willing to have me back." Ruka's voice was icy.

Natsume was so surprised that he could not come up with one smart ass comeback. "What's the address again?" he asked with a sigh.

Once he had hung up the phone, he turned to Mika with a unhappy look. "I really need to be somewhere."

"I heard." she said giggling.

"Well, would you like to join me?" he asked.

"Sure."

-------------

"There you are. Seriously, why do you do this?" Ruka asked as Natsume stepped out of the car. Ignoring Ruka, he went to the other side to open the door for Mika.

Ruka raised an eyebrow when he saw the girl.

"Rochelle, meet Ruka Nogi. Ruka meet Rochelle."

"I prefer Mika actually." Rochelle/Mika replied as she shook Ruka's hand.

"Nice to meet you." He said with a smile. Then he turned to Natsume, and the smile was gone.

"Why did you not show up?"

"To be honest, I forgot. Where is Leis anyway? Bring her out, and let's all go for lunch. She can tell me what they have done there, and then I will look over the place when we get back." Natsume said in a soothing voice.

"I am here Mr. Hyugga." Leis said as she too came out of the exhibition gallery office.

"Oh good. Come on, time to go." Natsume said as he steered them all in the direction of the restaurant across the street.

Once seated, they placed their orders, then while Ruka engaged Mika in small talk, Natsume went over the details of the "Exhibition Sakura" with Leis. Mika watched him out of the corner of her eye. The way he had initially reacted to Ruka's call she had thought he was not serious about work but now she realized that he just gave his all to what he was doing at that moment.

She looked back and realized that Ruka had been watching her watch Natsume. He gave her a small smile but made no comment. By the time food was served, Natsume had taken care of everything. Now all that he had to do was go through the actual exhibition to see if it was to his taste. Mika was surprised when she learned from Leis that he was The Natsume Hyugga. The famous artist.

She had turned to him and given him a once over. "I thought he would be older, and more mysterious." Both Ruka and Leis had burst out laughing at that.

"Maybe you just don't know me well enough." Natsume had said with a poker face.

That made her laugh all the more. "Maybe there is nothing to know."

Ruka had looked from one to the other and then for the first time since Mikan had died, he felt some hope for Natsume.

-----------

Still laughing and joking they went back to the exhibition gallery. They entered it together. Once inside, it was a huge circular room. Starting from the left, the paintings was in the form of a story, the scenes of her life that Natsume had painted. There were corridors leading away from the room all filled with more paintings of her. But all the major incidences were here in this room.

The first painting showed a girl sitting in a field. It was her back that was visible to them, but you could tell that she was singing.

The last painting was that of a forest. A woman was sleeping on the forest floor. She and the forest immediately surrounding her were the only things in color, the rest was in black and white. A man stood further away, watching her sleep.

It was this painting that held Mika transfixed. "I love this one. It's beautiful how she is spreading light and color into his life." Leis said to her.

Mika shook he head. "She is not."

They all looked at her surprised, but Leis was shocked most of all. "What do you mean?" she stammered.

"She is taking it all away. She is dead, and he has nothing left." Mika said, she sounded like she was in pain.

Leis could not have looked more stunned, but she was not the only one. Besides her both Ruka and Natsume seemed to have been struck speechless.

Mika turned away from them. She walked to the first painting, as she looked at it, something snapped inside her. She saw things she had never seen before.

"The first night I sang under the stars." she whispered. Before she knew it, tears were falling from her eyes.

She walked to the next painting, "The night he told me his name."

"The first time I touched him with my own power. I had just heard the legend." she said as she looked at the third painting. It was of a girl standing near trees with her hand held out. She seemed to be touching the cheek of a person but that person was just a shadowy silhouette.

She walked to each painting. She was no longer saying anything but the tears were still flowing down her cheeks. At the last painting she reached out to touch it, but could not make herself do it. Natsume took her raised hand in his. He was looking at her with wide eyes. Eyes filled with hope as well as dread.

"I know not what pains you keep in your heart, but I believe that someday your heart will heal. The scar that will stay behind, will only make you cherish your happiness more rather than remind you of these lonely days. Good Luck my friend of the night and the forest." she said softly.

Before Natsume could say or do anything, she moved the hand he was holding to touch his cheek, "Natsume" she said in a voice that was barely a whisper, and fainted.

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**Author Note: So people, if you like this then please please review :) **


	13. Chapter 13

I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story and its concept is entirely mine though.

**Do leave Reviews please, they are my motivation for writing.**

**I wanna Thank: **

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**Thanks a lot for your Reviews! Thy made writing this story so much better :) and so much more fun!**

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Mika came awake slowly. She opened her eyes to find herself in her bed. She looked outside and it looked like it was early morning. She sat up slowly, she had a pounding headache and so sudden movements were definitely a no no. As she sat there, and the headache dimmed, the events before she had fainted came to her. _Had it actually happened or was it all just a dream?_

She got up and entered the living room almost at a run. She stood there, dizzy as hell, holding onto the doorframe, her eyes fixed on the man sleeping on her couch. Before she knew it, she was besides him. She knelt near his head and gently stroked his cheek. She felt the change in his breathing and knew he was awake, even though he did not open his eyes. She moved forward and kissed him. His eyes fluttered open but he did not kiss her back. Mika moved away, her eyes filled with confusion.

"Why?" she asked.

"I cannot lose you again." He whispered as he sat up.

Mika looked at him wide-eyed, not understanding.

"I lost you once. It was the worst thing that ever happened to me." Natsume sighed. "I love you, but if you choose me, your whole life will change. I don't think I have the right to just take you away from everything and everyone you know. I am not strong enough to let you go. One touch, one word and I will be lost. I will never let go. I am just trying to give you a choice, a chance to back out. I..." Natsume stopped as she placed a finger on his lips.

"Good plan. I mean after all, the only reason I died was so that I would not have to live with you. That would have been so much worse." She giggled at his stunned expression.

"God, that's why I tell you to not take everything so seriously. Idiot, what makes you think that I will be any less possessive than you? Or that I would not wanna be with you?" She asked."Before trying to hold back to give me a choice, shouldn't you ask if I even want a choice?" She took a breath to keep going, but then suddenly Natsume had pulled her up and was kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck. When they finally parted for breath, she smiled against his lips.

"Done holding back huh?" she chuckled.

"Definitely." He grinned back. She smiled as she kissed him again.

"What name do you want me to call you?" Natsume asked. They were sitting together on the couch. Well he was sitting on the couch and she was curled up in his lap.

"Mika. I named myself, and so I like this name." she replied.

"Named yourself?" Natsume asked curious.

"My name, Rochelle its so... girly. I never liked it and so I gave myself the nickname Mika." She explained.

"I see." He was playing with a strand of her hair. "There is so much I don't know about you now."

"It's okay, we have lots of time." she said as she kissed his neck. He gave her an evil smile and pulled her into another kiss.

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**Two Weeks Later: **

Natsume was watching Mika as she sat there talking animatedly with Mrs. Sakura and Hotaru. Having her back felt like a part of his soul had been missing and now he had finally gotten it back. They had spent the past two weeks together. He had a lot to learn about her, and she had wanted to know everything he had done in the twenty years she had been gone. Even though she looked completely different, inside she was the same Mikan. Of course she had changed in many ways, but that was all a part of life.

Every time he saw her, touched her, he could not help but feel very very grateful to whatever power that had returned her to him. He had thought that he had started to live, but once he had her back, it was like having the sun back in his life after a long moonless night. Just watching her made his heart fill with joy.

Natsume looked up when Ruka tapped him on the shoulder, then gratefully took the beer Ruka handed him. Today life was exceptionally good.

"So have you decided on anything?" Ruka asked Natsume, his eyes resting on Hotaru as she chuckled at something Mika had said.

"Decided on what?" Natsume asked confused.

"You know, all the details. Meeting her family, figuring out your future, all the human stuff that you have to deal with, when your girlfriend is human." Ruka said. Natsume decided that his friend was a bit too smug to be left alone. Next thing he knew, Ruka found his beer upended on his head. He swore, as he jumped up.  
"Natsume!" Ruka said his name as if he was swearing.

As it turned into a huge fight with food, and other things flying everywhere, Ruka and Natsume suddenly found themselves completely drenched with freezing water.

"The hell?" they said at the same time.

Hotaru chuckled while Mika collapsed into a fit of giggles. Even Mrs. Sakura was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"Why you little brats..." Natsume said as he started towards them, but more water poured over his head. Mika laughed harder, and slowly even Ruka and Natsume could not help but join in.

* * *

Natsume smiled as he played with Mika's hair. It was early in the morning and she was sound asleep. Mika opened her eyes, saw him smiled and then snuggled into him as she fell asleep again. Natsume's smile widened. The way she trusted him, absolutely and completely, made his heart soar. What was it about her that made him like this. HE smiled for no reason, the world seemed beautiful, even the sun itself seemed to have become kinder.

He kissed her forehead and then he too fell asleep. A sleep that was no longer disturbed by nightmares.

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**Author Note: so this chapter is kinda short.. n the story n characters seem to have changed a lot. Do let me know what you guys think. Any and all suggestions are very welcome! **


	14. Chapter 14

I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story and its concept is entirely mine though.

**Do leave Reviews please, they are my motivation for writing.**

**I wanna Thank:**

**Yuri no Kimi **

**DarkBlueEyedWolf**

**Thanks a lot for your Reviews! **

**~*~*~Read & Review~*~*~**

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"I do not have any reason to listen to you." Ash snarled at Seia.

"I am dead for crying out loud. The least you can do is listen to me." Seia snapped right back.

"Then you should stay dead and leave the living alone. Why do you have to keep bothering me, woman? Is this your way of taking revenge on me for killing you? Haunting me?" asked a very testy Ash.

"You are the demon king, quit acting like a whiny human." Seia scowled. "and I am not haunting you, yet. Do not tempt me to do it either."

Ash gave her the strangest look then. Then with a sigh, he sat upon his throne. "Why are you here Seia?" he asked coldly.

"I need to fulfill my debt to be reborn. I am kind of sick of being a ghost by now. I've been like this since the war. Thats too much time to reflect upon your actions, especially if you knew within the first century that you were the one in the wrong." she sighed.

Ash chuckled. "Why don't you ask your angels to help you?"

"The angels have fallen. When an unlawful king abused the power and cursed Natsume, the angel throne lost the powers that I need to finish this. Now only the demon king has the powers I need. _That_, would be you." she replied honestly.

Inspite of himself, Ash was interested. "So can the angel throne regain these powers?" he asked.

"I think if Ruka becomes king then they might, but other than that, possibly not. They have, cliched as it does sound, fallen too far." she answered.

"I see. Fine, I am willing to listen, but only listen. I have not yet decided whether I'll help you or not." Ash said calmly.

"You took long enough."she grumbled before she started explaining her plan.

* * *

Ruka was laughing maniacally. Hotaru entered the room and raised an eyebrow at him. After a minute when his gales of mirth finally subsided he said, "Today Natsume went to meet Mika's current parents."

"And?" she asked coldly.

"Well he was terribly nervous, and seriously considering telling them that he was a angel-demon hybrid who had been cursed for thousands of years. I was quite amazed to see something close to panic on his face." Ruka said chuckling.

"Get to the end already." Hotaru snapped.

Ruka sighed. "You just have no patience for building up a story." he almost pouted and then continued, "As it turns out, Mika was taking him to a cemetary. Her parents passed away a few years ago. I wish I could have seen his face. Totally priceless." Ruka smiled evilly.

"And he's the angel and the best friend." Hotaru muttered in a grim voice.

Ruka laughed again. "Yeah well, I _live_ with a demon." he said, stretching the word live.

Hotaru smirked at him. "Wanna stay at Natsume's place again for a while?" she asked evilly.

"Oh no, please no." he said looking mock horrified, as he got up and started walking towards her.

"Really? and why not?" she asked him amused.

"Well you see, there is this girl whom I'd miss terribly at his place." Ruka answered, now only a few feet away from her.

"Who's that?" Hotaru asked, slightly breathless but still expressionless.

"My wife." Ruka answered as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Hotaru gave him one of her rare smiles and he pulled her close. Just as Ruka was about to kiss her,

BANG!

Ruka looked up, his eyes filled with fury. His eyes met those of a messenger demon. He was quivering with fear as he stood there.

"You better have a really good reason." he snapped, still not moving one inch away from Hotaru. She had become expressionless again, but she too was annoyed.

"His highness King Ash, the honorable.." the demon started.

"We know his titles and his deeds. Get to the point." Hotaru said coldly. It was a custom for messenger demons to list all the titles and accomplishments of the person who had sent the message before he gave the actual message. Just so the receiver would know who he was dealing with. It was unnecessary right now, and obviously Ruka and Hotaru were not in the mood for a long speech. Ash's titles would go on for over an hour.

The demon stuttered, then finally relayed the message. "His highness summons you to have the next meal with him." he said, cold sweat on his brow.

"Fine. Tell him we'll be there. You are excused." Ruka said.

The demon vanished with another BANG, thanking every power that be that it had been Ruka and not some other Demon lord. They would have probably punished him for the disturbance before they let him leave.

Ruka turned back to Hotaru, and sighed softly. A gentle smile tugged at her lips.

"Cheer up. The next meal just means that we cannot eat until we see him. Not that we have to leave immediately." she said.

"Yeah but this is Natsume's grandfather we're talking about. He probably is already waiting at the dining table." Ruka said unhappily.

"Yeah you do have a point." She answered, then she gave him a long kiss. "That should keep you happy till we get back." she chuckled softly at his surprised expression.

He smiled his most radiant smile. "Lets go and see what Granddad wants."

They vanished from their mansion in Nice, France and arrived into the main hall of King Ash's Palace.

* * *

Mika had had a bad feeling for the past hour or so. She just felt more and more jumpy and just could not get rid of the feeling. Natsume wasn't here, and she did not feel like bothering him since he had sent her a message that he would be busy till later tonight. The fact that she was at Natsume's house (he has houses too now, rather than just the apartments he was fond of before) made it even more creepy coz usually she felt very safe here. She knew how paranoid Natsume was after all. To calm her nerves she decided to make supper, even though she had no appetite.

Mika was cooking tomato sauce for pasta when she heard someone come in. She peeked out into the living room to see Natsume walking in. Her heart jumped but not in a good way, rather in a something-is-wrong-here kind of way.

"Hey!" she said somewhat brightly hiding her uneasiness.

Natsume nodded in response. Mika was even more confused now. _Yeah, he never spoke a lot but he was really sensitive to her moods. She was feeling this uneasy and he hadn't noticed at all. That was weird. _

As she watched, Natsume sprawled on the living room sofa, and then motioned for her to come closer. For some reason her whole being was against the idea. She shook her head, _what was wrong with her? This was Natsume. Her Natsume. _

She sat down at his side, facing him. "What's up?"she asked.

Suddenly he moved and grabbed her. Next thing she knew, Natsume was kissing her, but in a way that seemed as if he did not care for her at all. She tried to push him away, but he just held on more tightly. She pushed him away hard. He tried to hold on, and her shirt got ripped.

Natsume eyed her torn shirt, and that did it. She used all her spiritual power to give him a electric shock, and ran for the door. She did not bother to grab shoes, keys, phone, bag, anything, she just ran.

Her hands holding her shirt together, her eyes filled with tears, she kept on running.

She had no clue where she was going, nor what she would do when he caught up with her. Suddenly she tripped.

"AHHHHH" Mika cried out, covering her face with her hands waiting for the hard ground. Instead she found herself falling into the arms of the person who had been sleeping there, and whose leg she had tripped on.

She opened her eyes, and they met crimson orbs. Her eyes widened in horror and she tried to jump away from him. Natsume let her jump back, though she still ended up kneeling between his legs.

Mika wanted to get up and run, but something was different now. All her instincts were not screaming at her to run away. Her heart had started calming on its own accord. She noticed the hurt in his eyes that she was looking at him with fear, before he hid it.

"Mika, whats wrong?" he asked gently.

For a long moment she said nothing, then slowly the tears started falling. Natsume's eyes widened.

"Whats wrong? Please tell me what happened?" he said panicky while wiping the tears away.

This just made her cry all the more as she threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. Natsume held her, confused and really really worried. That was when he noticed her appearance. She was wearing no shoes, and her feet and knees were cut in several places. She was trembling and had nothing with her but her clothes and he knew she hated to be without her phone. When she looked up at him, he noticed her lips were bruised, and then when she straightened, he noticed the last thing, her shirt was torn and there were actually scratches on her neck.

Noticing his look, she tried to pull her shirt together, but he took her hands in his, and then slowly put them around himself again. Then as he hugged her, she felt herself getting enveloped in a gentle warmth. All the cuts, scratches and bruises healed, and her clothes changed. Instead of the shorts and tshirt from before, she was now wearing jeans with a tanktop. Over the tanktop appeared her favorite off shoulder loosely knit sweater.

She looked up at him, and he wiped her tears away. "Tell me what happened, please."

She started to speak, but she couldn't. Tears filled her eyes again.

"It's all right, don't push yourself. Is it okay if I see your memories?" he asked. Unable to speak, Mika nodded.

He closed his eyes, and then saw the whole scene as she had experienced it. Natsume's blood boiled. Someone had dared to take up his form and then attack her. He opened his eyes to see her looking at him wide eyed.

He calmed his expression. "I am sorry that you had to go through that. I'll kill the bastard, I promise. I know that words are just not good enough.." she silenced him by placing a finger on his lips. "Please just hold me. Get his scent off me. Make it all go away." she whispered in a choked voice.

Natsume pulled her close again and kissed her. His kiss was so sweet, slowly washing away everything. "Where did he touch you?" Natsume asked when they parted.

Each place that she showed him, he kissed again and again. Slowly, Mika smiled again as he dropped kisses all over her face.

Wrapped in his arms, she just snuggled into him as they lay there together under the cherry blossom tree. Natsume's magic hid them from the eyes of any humans that might have accidentally seen them. Unknown to her the temperature outside their bubble had gone up by at least 10 degrees due to Natsume's fury. Yet in here he kept it in check, making sure that he did not scare her in any way.

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**Author Note: so how did you guys like this? **

***~*~*~Read & Review~*~*~***

**Every thing will of course be explained later. **


	15. Chapter 15

I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story and its concept is entirely mine though.

**Do leave Reviews please, they are my motivation for writing.**

**I wanna Thank:**

**Rena Miko**

**Yuri no Kimi **

**DarkBlueEyedWolf**

**Thanks a lot for your Reviews! **

**BTW where are my other reviewers? Please come BACK! Or has my writing really gone so bad that its just now worth it? :( I really hope not. **

**~*~*~Read & Review~*~*~**

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* * *

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_Wrapped in his arms, she just snuggled into him as they lay there together under the cherry blossom tree. Natsume's magic hid them from the eyes of any humans that might have accidentally seen them. Unknown to her the temperature outside their bubble had gone up by at least 10 degrees due to Natsume's fury. Yet in here he kept it in check, making sure that he did not scare her in any way._

* * *

Natsume was holding her close, gently playing with the ends of her long hair, when she looked up at him. He smiled at the stars that were reflected in the pools of her eyes.

"Star eyes." he said with a soft smile.

She smiled back at him, then moved forward a bit more, until her head rested on his shoulder. She pressed her lips to his neck, and she felt his pulse quicken. Natsume rolled his eyes, when he heard her giggle. He knew exactly why she was amused. For another long while they just stayed there together, talking about random things.

Natsume smiled tenderly when he realized that she had fallen asleep. It was around 2 am now, and she had had a terrible shock. They vanished from where they were and appeared on his bed in his apartment in Paris.

The room was tastefully done but it was minimalistic. There was a large four poster bed in one corner, and some comfy chairs. There was also a fireplace on one side and a mini bar besides it. The walls and the floor were white, while all the furniture was black. There were several paintings hanging from the walls. They were all of Mikan, except one. That was of Mika.

Natsume made Mika's clothes turn to PJ's. Then he moved her a bit so that she was sleeping next to him. He stayed there a while, making sure she was properly asleep. He then proceeded to put many very powerful wards and protections around the apartment. No one would be able to enter while he was gone, regardless of who they were. Then he got up and wrote a quick note and placed it on the bedside table, in case she woke up before he came back.

* * *

Ash was having supper with Ruka and Hotaru when suddenly Natsume appeared in the room. All three looked at him in surprise. Even though his face was expressionless, the temperature in the room had just gone up by like 5 degrees. He was obviously very angry.

"So... wanna join us?" Ruka asked.

Natsume glared at his best friend, and ignored his offer.

"Granddad, are you plotting something?" he asked bluntly.

"I am always plotting." Ash answered. "Though I would expect you to at least greet me before you start the inquisition." he said with just a hint of disapproval.

A tic appeared on Natsume's forehead. "Greetings, King Ash." he said in a voice with barely restrained violence. "Did you have anything to do with, or know anything about the bastard who tried to rape my girlfriend?" he finished. The expressionless mask was now gone, Natsume's face now showed absolute fury.

His was not the only one. Hotaru's eyes had narrowed in anger on hearing this, and Ruka's eyes blazed.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "As long as you care for her, she is my family. I would not do anything to hurt her. You should know this."

"Not just anyone can break my protection shields without my knowing. Not only did they manage that, but the bastard also had my form."

"That makes no difference." Ash snapped.

"Like hell it doesn't. Last time you were involved, she died. If anything happens to her, I will kill the perpetrator. No matter who it is." Natsume said in a chilling voice.

Ash looked as if he wanted to yell at Natsume, but then he sighed. "I had nothing to do with it." he said.

"Very well." Natsume vanished.

"Ash-sama, If you only called us here for food then I would like to take my leave as well. I wish to help Natsume." Hotaru said.

"Same goes for me." Ruka said.

"I did have other matters to discuss, but you can leave for now. Come see me the next full moon." He waved them away.

Both Ruka and Hotaru vanished at the same time.

* * *

"Is she okay?" Hotaru asked Natsume as soon as they appeared besides him.

"Somewhat." he replied.

"So what exactly happened?" Ruka asked.

Without a word, Natsume showed them the memory that Mika had showed him. He saw his own fury reflected in their eyes.

"Where is she now?" Hotaru asked.

"My place in Paris. I put a lot of wards there but I still feel uneasy leaving her alone." Natsume answered.

"I'll go." Ruka said calmly. "Hotaru is a great tracker, and it'll be useless asking you to stop the chase. I'll go stay there, until you guys are done. Make sure he pays."

Hotaru nodded while Natsume made some changes in his wards so that Ruka could enter the place. When Ruka vanished, Hotaru and Natsume started their search of the house where Mika had been attacked.

* * *

"I don't get it." Hotaru said after a while. Upon seeing his questioning look, she explained. "Why would anyone go after Mika, and only try this? Not to mention, they let her escape. If they know anything about us, they should know that we would not forgive this."

"I've been thinking the same thing too." Natsume answered. He scowled as he burned the couch on which that guy had sat.

"There is nothing here. No scent, no trace of magic, absolutely nothing." Natsume said angrily.

"Nothing demonic." Hotaru specified.

Natsume's eyes narrowed, and his magic changed. The fire went out, and he assessed the place again, this time looking for non demonic traces.

"There is something." he said after a moment.

He concentrated a moment more, and then his whole body was covered in fire. Hotaru rolled her eyes. "Stop losing your temper. Show me the trace you found so I can track it."

As soon as he did though, he saw icy fury on Hotaru's face. "Angels." she said in distaste. Then her eyes narrowed even more as her magic did its work, and she knew who it was.

"Its them. Persona and his angels are on the move again." Hotaru said coldly.

"Then its time that they died." Natsume snapped.

"Wait!" Hotaru called, "You cannot go alone!"

"Watch me! Just go to Ruka and keep her safe. Don't fail me." Natsume said before vanishing.

Hotaru wanted to throttle him, but she knew that this was his fight. She would do as he asked and protect Mika. History would not repeat itself.

* * *

Persona's eyes widened in shock when Natsume suddenly appeared in his meeting hall. Before anyone could even blink, Natsume had killed three angels who attacked him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Persona shrieked.

"You all have one chance. Give up all your powers, or die here." Natsume said coldly. The angels attacked.

Natsume kept moving forward, angels falling around him like sticks.

"This violates the treaty. There will be war!" Sumire screamed as Natsume killed another angel.

"You should have thought of that before you attacked. When i was freed I gave you one last chance. You blew it." Natsume said in an eerily calm voice. There was no stopping him, and no one could teleport out of there. His magic was holding them in place. He had forgiven them when they had attacked Ruka, he had forgiven them for cursing him, he had even forgiven them for attacking that night.

But enough was enough. Now they would all die.

They fought back, but it made no difference. One by one he killed every angel who sided with Persona. The last were Sumire and Persona.

"You were her friend. I'll give you one last chance, give up your powers and leave, keep them and die." Natsume said to her coldly.

She looked at him with wide eyes, filled with terror. Then with a nod she gave up her powers. With that she vanished.

The only one now left was Persona. He fought Natsume, but even he was no match for him in his current state. Natsume did not even register the pain of the wounds he got. All he wanted was revenge, and freedom. Freedom from always looking over his shoulder.

Persona fell, his vision turning dark from approaching death. He looked at Natsume with sad eyes, it all finally made sense to him as he saw her standing there behind Natsume.

"Mother..." he said in a soft voice before he closed his eyes forever. His last image was that of Seia welcoming him with her gentle smile.

Natsume looked around him, feeling disgusted, with them and with himself. He was nothing but a cold hearted murderer.

The whole place burned down after Natsume left.

* * *

Mika woke up to find herself alone. Before she could panic, she saw the note he had left her

_I'll be back soon. Don't worry, you're safe. _

_Love, _

_-N_

Her eyes filled with tears, but she did not even know why. Then she realized that she could hear music. She got up and walked out to see the source. As she climbed down te stairs, she saw them. Ruka was playing the piano, while Hotaru stood next to him, her hand resting on his shoulder.

The melody was beautiful. Her eyes met Hotaru's and she gave her a gentle smile. Mika smiled back, how could she not, it was so rare to see Hotaru so happy.

Then Ruka stopped and they both looked at him in surprise. His eyes were focussed on the door of the apartment. He stood up and ran to it, and flung it open. To Mika's shock, there stood Natsume, completely drenched in blood.

"Why didn't you just teleport in?" Ruka asked as he grabbed him and hauled him inside.

"Didn't have the strength to bypass the wards." He said softly. Then as Mika watched with horrified eyes, he coughed and blood bubbled on his lips. She rushed forward to help in any way she could.

"Don't touch me." Natsume snapped.

Her face lost all color and her hand fell back. He did not want her to touch him. Did he think she was not clean? Not good enough anymore?

"Thats not it." Hotaru murmured as she stood besides Mika. "He thinks the exact opposite. He is not clean enough for you to touch him. He is not good enough."

Mika looked at her with wide eyes, while Ruka dropped Natsume on the couch. Then with a wave, Natsume's clothes vanished, and all the blood was cleaned. Mika watched as Ruka healed all the wounds that Natsume had. There had to have been at least 6 or 7 broken bones and various gashes, slashes and cuts. As for bruises, there was barely any skin left that was not black or blue.

She had no clue when the tears started falling her face, but she just stood there crying as she watched him being healed. His eyes were closed, so he could not see. But then he opened his crimson eyes, and she saw the shock that went through them on seeing her tears.

Hotaru gently took her hand then, and they vanished from there. Mika rounded on her only to realize that they had only come to the next floor and were in the bedroom now.

"I'll send him here in a minute. If you're there, he'll want to stop, since he would never want you to know how injured he got while taking care of the men who had attacked you." she explained.

"Attacked me?" Mika whispered, finally realizing who he had been fighting.

Hotaru just nodded and vanished.

Natsume had just closed his eyes again when Hotaru appeared in the room. He opened them again. "Where.." he started to ask, but winced as Ruka healed his ribs.

"She's fine. Just get patched up quickly." She replied.

Natsume closed his eyes again.

* * *

Ruka transported the sleeping Natsume to the bed upstairs. Mika was pacing in the room, and she looked at Ruka with hope when he finally showed up.

"He's sleeping now. He really took a beating, but its all good now. He'll be fine when he wakes up." Ruka answered her unasked question.

"You should also go to sleep now." he said in a gentle voice.

Mika's eyes filled with tears. "You heard what he said." she said unhappily.

"And I also know that he loves you, and that what Hotaru told you is true. You'll thank me someday." With that he waved his hand and Mika also fell asleep. He tucked her in next to Natsume, then sighed.

Hotaru took his hand in hers. "Lets go. I placed more wards around here. We'll know if anything goes wrong but for now these two need to be alone."

He just nodded, and they teleported to their apartment in Paris which was just a few blocks from Natsume's. As soon as they arrived there, Ruka collapsed. Hataru caught him and laid him down gently on their bed.

"That idiot nearly got killed." Ruka said softly, by way of explaining the drain that had caused his weakness.

"I know." Hotaru said as she sat down next to him.

"Will you stay with me?" Ruka asked her, already unable to keep his eyes open.

"Of course." She said as she tucked him in, and then cuddled up next to him. Ruka smiled softly as he hugged her close to him before falling asleep.

* * *

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	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story is entirely mine though.**

****

Also I'd like to thank Yuri no Kimi. Thanks for reviewing!

My other reviewers.. please come BACK! ;)

**~*~*~Read & Review~*~*~**

* * *

Mika came awake slowly. She felt warmth next to her and she smiled sleepily. Natsume must have come there in the middle of the night again. She opened her eyes a bit and they rested on his face. A slight bruise was still visible on his cheek. Suddenly all the events of the night before came crashing back.

She quickly sat up, but that made her feel dizzy. Mikan braced her hands on both sides to get her balance back. Once she felt better, she looked back at Natsume. He was sleeping peacefully, but she wondered just how healed he was.

Slowly she stroked his cheek. Then unbuttoned his shirt to check his chest. One hand played with his hair while she ran the other hand's fingers over the scars on his chest. They were all that remained of the wounds of last night.

_Last night... _Her fingers stilled as she remembered him telling her not to touch him. She started to lift her hands away, but he placed his on top of hers. His eyes were still closed, but he pressed her hand to his heart. Mika's breath caught in her throat. He reached up and took r other hand in his as well, and then slowly kissed her palm.

He opened is eyes, and she knew she was lost. A single tear slid down her cheek.

Natsume frowned. He had made her cry. He sat up, and wiped the tear away. "Mine. You're all mine." he whispered to her, as he pulled her close. She looked at him, with a question in her eyes, a question she did not dare voice.

Natsume kissed her forehead. "Always you'll be mine. No matter what. Just like I'll be yours."

Mika smiled and moved closer to him still. She just held him tightly. _He was hers_. That was all that mattered.

* * *

Ash scowled at Seia.

"Now that your son is dead, I thought it would be over." he said with a grimace.

"Just one more thing. Just one more." she replied.

Ash sighed. "Gave you an inch, and you took over a mile. No wonder you angels are so hopeless."

"Uh huh. You do not think of mine or your grandson as hopeless do you?" she countered.

"Ruka and Natsume are different." Ash snapped back.

"We're different from whom?" Ruka asked as he popped into the room.

"and who were you talking to?" Hotaru asked from where she popped in besides him.

Ash sighed again. _Why could he never have peace? or at least brainless killing? why did everything require him to be so... nice. Ugh. Some demon king he was. _

"I was talking to Seia." he noticed Ruka's expression, "Yeah she is still around. The more's the pity." he grumbled.

"My grandmother who died forever ago is still hanging around as a ghost and is now spending time with the guy who killed her?" Ruka said with a raised eyebrow.

"That sums it up." replied Ash.

To his surprise, Ruka burst out laughing. "Have fun! She won't give you any peace whatsoever."

Ash scowled, and Hotaru instinctively moved in front of Ruka. At that Ash threw up his hands in frustration and went flopped down in his chair. "someone save me from love birds" he muttered under his breath.

With another chuckle, Ruka came and sat across from him, while Hotaru sat on the arm of his chair.

"So what did you want to talk to us about?" Hotaru asked.

"How to exorcise the ghost of an angel queen?" Ash said hopefully.

Hotaru could not stop herself from smirking, while Ruka laughed again. "That bad huh?" he asked Ash amused.

"Yeah well, she has been here since Mikan died. Now at least I know when I will be able to get rid of her." he said calmly, all traces oh humor now gone.

"And when would that be?" Hotaru asked.

"That would be when she has given Natsume enough happiness that it negates all the pain that she caused him. I think she is really happy its not all the pain the angels caused him or she would be here a _really_ long time." Ash smirked.

"No kidding." Ruka said considering all that the angels had done to Natsume.

"You do know that he killed Persona and all his followers right?" Hotaru asked.

"Of course. It has been a long time since I was that entertained." Ash said with a truly evil smile. Ruka repressed a shudder, it was too obvious sometimes that even if he cared for them, this was _The Demon King. _"So you watched?" Hotaru asked mildly surprised.

"Of course. IT was not something I would ever miss. When Natsume is furious he reminds me so much of his mother. In true demon form, when she was angry, she was truly a sight to behold. Pity she looked so much like an angel in her human form, or my son might still be alive." Ash answered a slight frown on his face.

Both Ruka and Hotaru were silent for a while. This was the first time that they had heard Ash talk about his son and daughter.

He smiled at them then, and there was no malice in it. "Don't worry. I will not lose my children ever again."

"So... why did you want to see us? Except to tell me how annoying my grandmother is?" Ruka changed the subject.

Ash smiled once again, a light inclination of his head showing that he was pleased that Ruka had changed the subject.

"To get rid of Seia, I need to make Mika immortal. The two of you will be helping me." Ash said with all the calm that comes right before a storm.

* * *

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	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story is entirely mine though.**

****

Also I'd like to thank

Yuri no Kimi - humm i guess you'll have to wait and see.

babee-angel - i agree with u. trust me, it wont be that way. not really.

Rena Miko - yup :) glad u like this!

Thanks for reviewing!

My other reviewers.. please come BACK! ;)

**~*~*~Read & Review~*~*~**

* * *

Mika sat there posing as Natsume painted. She had barely any patience so it was a very good thing that he painted really really fast.

"Can I see it now?" She asked.

"No." he answered, the same way he had the last 10 times. Mikan gave a theatrical sigh. Natsume hid his smile. It was like watching a kid trying to hold still.

After ten more minutes in which she asked him 3 times if she could see the painting he finally told her it was finished.

Mika jumped up, but before she could see it, Natsume made it vanish.

"I wanna see that!" she snapped.

"Nope. You were too annoying." He said chuckling.

Mika lunged at him but he sidestepped and just hugged her from behind. She slowly relaxed into his embrace.

A strange thought passed her mind. "What'll happen to us?" she asked him in a soft voice.

Natsume turned her to face him, but her eyes were downcast and her expression serious. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You are an angel. I am a human. How long will we able to be together?" she sighed and looked up and he noticed all the worry in the pool of her eyes. "What'll happen to you once I am gone?" she whispered.

Natsume's eyes widened, but he had no answer for her. He wanted to spend forever with her but reality had never been kind to him. He kissed her forehead, "I don't know the future, but I do know that i will fight it for you."

"Thats what i am scared off. i want you to promise me that no matter what, you will keep living. Living, not just existing." she told him, a strange fear making her tone unbendable.

"We've done this once before. I cannot live without you. I tried, I really did and it never worked. But I promise you this, I will look for your soul every time it reincarnates and every time I will be yours. That is all that I can give you." Natsume vowed.

"You give too much. Thats what makes me worry about you." she sighed, but then kissed his chin. "I guess I will make do with what I get."

Natsume chuckled. "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

"Hotaru why is that we always get dragged into helping Ash with his scariest schemes?" Ruka asked his wife idly as they scoped out one of the most dangerous areas of demon world.

"Well I like to think that its because he cannot trust anyone but us in such things. Truthfully I think he does not trust the rest to keep their mouths shut." She answered.

Ruka chuckled. "Sounds right." Suddenly Ruka noticed movement.

"There it is." he said quickly to Hotaru.

With a quick nod, Hotaru got to work.

* * *

"I knew you would be doing this soon." Ash said with a smile as Natsume entered his throne room with Mika.

Natsume gave him a small nod and introduced his only living family to her. They stayed there for a long time, chatting, sharing stories and just enjoying each other's company.

Never in a million years would Mika have thought that it was so easy to get along with the Demon King.

Ash smiled at her as if he knew what she had been thinking. "Being charming comes with the job of being king, child. No matter what kingdom you rule. I have to be doubly charming or people are scared senseless just hearing my name. Its really annoying to go to met someone only to find them unconscious just after the handshake." Ash joked.

Mika blushed but giggled, though she had a feeling that this had happened to the king in the past.

Natsume just rolled his eyes.

When hours and dinner later, they were finally leaving, Ash gave Mika a box. "For you." he said with his sweetest smile.

"Thank you." Mika said with a smile.

"Open it." said Natsume, with a wary glance at his grandfather.

Mika opened the box to find a beautiful ruby pendant. It was a tear drop held up by a gold loop at the top. Threaded through the loop was a long gold chain. The ruby itself was at least an inch long and Mika could see a design shimmering in its depths.

"That is the symbol of the family of the king of demons. It marks you as one of us. I hope you do not mind me being too presumptuous." Ash said with another charming smile.

Mika nodded, too surprised to speak. When she finally found her voice, "Thank you so much. I will cherish it." she told him.

"I am sure you will. I would suggest you wear it as much as you can. Now off with both of you, duty calls me." Ash waved a hand and Mika and Natsume found themselves back in their (Previously just Natsume's) apartment.

Mika turned to Natsume with a smile. "I like your Granddad." she said brightly as she took out the necklace from the box.

Natsume smiled as he took it from her hand and placed it around her neck. "It looks good on you." he said as he slid the clasp into place.

That night after she fell asleep, Natsume went to see his grandfather again.

"What is going on?" he asked Ash.

"Nothing really. I just wanted to make sure that if she encounters any demon, she would stay safe. No one will hurt someone wearing that. It will even protect her from humans." Ash answered innocently.

Natsume shook his head, the innocent tone just did not seem right coming from someone who was right now coming up with new ways to torture a demon who had broken some rule.

"Go home Natsume. I am busy and you should spend all the time you can with your human." Ash said tiredly.

With a nod, Natsume vanished. _It was true, he should spend each moment he could with her. _Natsume thought as he stroked the cheek of the girl sleeping in his room.

* * *

**Author Note: I am so so sorry for being this miserably late in updating. I promise i'll be more regular from now on. I was busy with last minute classes and moving. But thats all done now.**

**Yes i know its a short chapter but I am gonna try for shorter chapters but lots of updates from now on. Hopefully that'll work out. **

**Thanks a lot for reading! **

**Review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story is entirely mine though.**

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**I'd Like to Thank:**

**Yuri no Kimi - Mika is Mikan reincarnated. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Babee-angel - i have something in mind for what you said. Just wait till next chapter. :) **

**Rena Miko - Everytime you review I just have to smile all day. Thanks :) **

**Thanks a lot guys for the reviews! **

**

* * *

**

**2 months later**

Mika looked up as Hotaru materialized in the living room. "Hi" she greeted her friend brightly. Hotaru just managed a nod before she collapsed on the sofa.

"I have something to tell you." Hotaru said with a small sigh.

"You're pregnant!" Mika asked excitedly.

Hotaru laughed. "No."

"Oh." Mika said somewhat disappointed, "do tell me then."

"We found a way to make you immortal. The question is if you want to go through with it. Its extremely dangerous and there is a high chance that you might not survive." Hotaru said in a soft voice.

"But there is a chance that I will survive?" Mika asked calmly.

"Yes."

"Then I want to give it a try." she said with a cheery smile.

Hotaru sighed. "Its not that easy. You have no idea.. You need to hear it all before you jump in it head first."

"If you explain everything i might gt scared by the process. I am just going to keep the goal in mind and leave it at that." Mika answered.

"No. You need to.." Hotaru started.

"No Hotaru i don't need to. I trust you. I have a winning chance or you won't be here. I see Natsume everyday and I see the worry he tries to hide. He sees me dying everyday, second by second. I thought i could do nothing. Now that you say I can do something, I will do it." Mika finished with feeling.

Hotaru shook her head, "You are too much. You always were. I would tell you to stop thinking about only that Natsume, but since I know that would change nothing, I would leave it be. Just be careful and know that he would kill me if something happened to you."

"Nah, he loves Ruka too much to kill you." Mika giggled.

Hotaru grinned, "Maybe"

Then Hotaru took her hand and they vanished. A note was left on the table for Natsume telling him that Mika was out with Hotaru. since it had Hotaru's official seal on it, he'd know that it was authentic.

* * *

"Thats it?" Mika asked amused as her eyes focussed on the fire in front of her. It was beautiful, bright, hot and very big. "I mean I get the whole demons and fire thing but really, you gotta be kidding. Right?" At the end her voice had a high pitched squeak that gave away her fear.

"The fire burning you is not a problem. The problem is what will be left of you after." Hotaru gave Ruka a helpless look, saying that she could not explain this.

"That fire will strip away everything Mika and you have to let it. It'll leave you just as you are, in the image of your soul. At that moment you will be immortal but then you need to get out of the fire on your own. If you don't you will forever stay in it, trapped. There are a lot of problems and things associated but the main one is accepting who you are. Completely." Ruka tried to explain. Mika gave him a look that said he sucked at it.

"So I just have to wing it? Fine." She said with a calm that she did not feel and started walking towards the fire. Ruka and Hotaru watched her go, hoping, praying that she would make it out alive.

* * *

**Author Note: All right then, this is the second last chapter. I hope you guys liked it. Please review! Oh and i will post the next chapter as soon as I can. **

**Thanks for reading! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. This story is entirely mine though.**

**Thanks a lot Yuri No Kimi for reviewing! **

**This is the FINAL CHAPTER of Redemption! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and everyone who read my story. I am glad I wrote something that so many people liked and were willing to spend time on. This does finish the story, but if enough people want it then I will write an Epilogue. **

**Thanks a LOT!**

****

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* * *

**Mika's POV**

I started walking, I mean really, it wasn't like Ruka and Hotaru were making too much sense. I thought the fire was right there but it was far. Way farther than I would have thought. I kept walking.

The heat was really strong now and I could feel it in waves. I just hoped I did not collapse from the heat before I even got to the fire. _Why get a heat stroke when you can get honest to god burns?_

It took a while, way longer than i was happy with but I reached the fire. Well I was as close as I could get. It was so bright I could not even look at it directly and I was supposed to walk into it. _Jeez._ I closed my eyes, I could still see the orange glow of the fire but i tuned it out and focussed on one thing and one thing only.

I focussed on Natsume. Made myself see him in front of me, and then I walked towards him, into his embrace. Only of course it wasn't him.

I felt the fire. The heat, the power and the pure complete... I don't have any words for it. It was as if the fire itself was alive, and now it was engulfing me. Thats when I knew, the fire was alive, and it was burning me. _Killing me._ They say that once your nerve ending are burnt by the fire, you can't feel the rest. I did.

I felt it burn my skin, my flesh and then felt it char my bones and turn even those to ash. The pain still did not stop. I was screaming, but i had no mouth to scream from anymore. Then it stopped. Just stopped. I opened my eyes and looked. It should not be like that of course, I did not have eyes, but I could see, and what i saw was mesmerizing.

I forgot the pain. The heat just became warmth, as I watched the colors swirling around me. It took me a while, to realize that these images were my life. Both my lives in fact. There was so much, even though neither of my lives had been that long. I watched, and it had everything. I could see, could almost feel every emotion that i had ever felt. It was so overwhelming that I wanted to close my eyes again, lose myself in the gentle warmth of the fire.

Thats when I saw it. It was also a memory, like all the rest, but it had very little color. Thats why it caught my eye, and then I just could not look away. It was a face, bleached of most color. The picture was almost black and white, as if I had been color blind when I saw this. Then i _knew. _

It was Natsume, as he had watched me die. My vision was fading, but he held me. I saw him die with me because a part of him had died that day.

After that they kept flowing, the images of him.

NO!

I screamed. It was too much! So many emotions. Too strong. All about him. I wanted to close my eyes again. To lose myself, to forget, but that look on his face as he had seen me die kept haunting me. If I stayed here, he would look like that again.

I could not let that happen._ I would never let that happen._

_

* * *

_

**Normal POV**

Hotaru flinched as Mika's screams abruptly stopped. Just like that, one moment she was screaming, and the next gone. They could not see her in the fire anymore. They had watched as she walked into it. Watched as he flesh had burned, drifting down around her. Watched as all that was left of her was just a skeleton, and then even that was gone. But the screaming had continued, and now it was just gone.

"Oh no" Hotaru breathed. "She gave up." A choked sob escaped her. Ruka hugged his wife, and then softly he said, "Natsume I need you."

Natsume materialized next to them. "What's wrong?" He asked taking in his surroundings.

Hotaru silently pointed to the fire blazing in the distance, tears streaming down her cheeks. Natsume looked at the fire and he knew. Then he was running, running to the fire. _To her._

Before he even reached the fire, he saw a silhouette forming in it. Slowly a shape took form. Turned into a shadow, which kept getting darker and darker.

Natsume was close enough to touch the fire now but before he could move closer, Ruka grabbed him.

"Let GO!"Natsume snapped, power flaring out from him and battering Ruka.

"No. You touch that and you're dead!" Ruka answered back, grimly holding Natsume back. "Without her I am dead!"Natsume screamed.

"Enough Natsume!" a sweet voice called from inside the fire.

As they all watched enthralled, she stepped out of the fire. Dark brown hair flowing around her like a dress, her wide eyes a beautiful shade of dark chocolate and a sweet smile on her lips.

Ruka's eyes widened and he looked away. Mikan was naked. Natsume just pushed him away and hugged her. He hugged her so hard, she felt as if he might crack her ribs, but then his hold gentled. Natsume materialized clothes on her, and she smiled at him, and then kissed the living daylights out of him.

When Mikan finally parted from him, Natsume whispered, "How?"

Mikan smiled, "This is the true form of my soul. I just became me again. It took some concentration and a bit of burning, but as long as I concentrated, the fire turned me immortal."

"Don't ever do something so dangerous again. The Phoenix Fire usually kills everything but phoenixes." Natsume said softly, holding her close.

Mikan smiled at him and kissed his nose. She intended to be with him forever, danger be damned.

* * *

**Author Note: Please do tell me what you thought of my story! Thanks for reading and do Review! **

**'bows' Thanks :) **


	20. Chapter 20

**Thank You So MUCH for reviewing my story: **

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**Thanks a lot guys! You made it so much better to write! I am so amazed that so many of you reveiwed and so many times. It was great!**

**So now Redemption is officially done. Mikan and Natsume are happily together forever. :D**


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